Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish

FR MICHAEL’S THOUGHT ON BIBLICAL IMAGERY

(Fr. Michael Boakye Yeboah, Vice Rector: St Gregory Seminary, Kumasi-Ghana)

DEPARTING

            Based on the readings of the 19^th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), let us reflect on the biblical imagery of “DEPARTING.” The readings (Wisdom 18:6-9; Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19; Luke 12:32-48) meant for our reflections, can be used as our resourced references. The author to the book of Wisdom recounts to us the departure of the Jews from the land of Egypt and he does so as a “Passover Event” inked with historical nuances while Luke presents us with an account which bears the nuance of a call for preparation for departure to a better life in heaven. Using Abraham as a symbol of faith, the author to the Letter to the Hebrews draws the believer’s attention to the importance of faith as one prepares for departure.

There are a lot of mysteries in life but one that cuts across every continent, country, culture, race and color can be: “where do people depart to when they die…” or the mystery of departing. Arguably, the Christian faith gives the most assuring of all religious creeds when it comes to one’s departure after death and has succeeded in painting the perfect image of where the disciples of Jesus will depart to: that is heaven. In the religious literatures and creeds of the other major religions, there can be traces of the doctrine of the afterlife but the example that Jesus gives us with his death and resurrection makes the Christian doctrine and creed the most hopeful and assuring of all.

In various ways the Gospel modifies the challenge to Christians to live in a constant state of departing. The more richly God has endowed Christians with gifts, and thereby with assignments, the more God varies the requirement to live “underway.” God’s assignments are carried out best if his servant never loses sight of the fact that he might be called to account at any moment – in other words, if every temporal moment is lived and shaped directly in and toward the light of eternity. If he forgets this immediacy, he has forgotten the content of his earthly mission and the justice and righteousness it incorporates (he “begins to beat the housemen and servant girls”). It now becomes clear that this justice-righteousness can only be retained if the believer looks beyond the world to the requirements of eternal justice-righteousness, which is not merely an “idea” but is the living Lord, for whose appearance all of world history waits.

            As the world awaits the Second Coming of the Lord, two key words are crucial in this expectant awaiting: ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE – for when he arrives, he will select his chosen ones and depart with them to his Father’s kingdom. The inspired writer seems to have that tone as he recounts to us the speech Jesus gave to his listeners. Luke twins arrival and departure into an event, and tells us that Jesus wants his disciples to be ready for his second arrival and their departure with him when he comes. The quality of their readiness is expressed in how they ought to do away with their worldly treasure in exchange for a heavenly one.

            I would like to think that our Lord Jesus is here inculcating some needful useful lessons upon his disciples, which he had taught them before, and had occasion afterwards to press upon them; for they need to have precept upon precept, and line upon line: “Therefore, because there are so many that are ruined by covetousness, and an inordinate affection to the wealth of this world, I say unto you, my disciples, take heed of it” Thou, O man of God, flee these things, as well as thou, O man of the world (1 Tim. 6:11). He charges them not to afflict themselves with disquieting perplexing cares about the necessary support of life. The language that was employed in this Gospel implied imminent arrival and departure; and this motivated the early Church to get themselves ready with living a quality Christ-centered life. The Christian values of this pericope is rich but the practical human living of it does not come easily for an average Christian of the 21^st century.

For twenty-one centuries, Christians have been living in the idealness of this “readiness for arrival and departure”, and the Lord’s delay in arrival has affected many people’s quality preparation for his arrival in order to depart with Him. Because of the delay, some Christians have given in to inordinate cares but we should note that our inordinate cares are owing to the weakness of our faith. Our cares are fruitless, vain, and insignificant, and therefore it is folly to indulge them. They will not gain us our wishes. A way forward is recommended by the author to the Letter to the Hebrews in today’s second reading.

The inspired writer highlights the fact that, a pilgrim existence is simply called “faith.” Faith is based on the word of God that has been received but which promises what is unseen and belongs to the future. In our readiness for his arrival and our departure with the Lord, this faith might be tested severely, as when God dares ask Abraham to sacrifice his son, but also as is evident in the fact that all representatives of the Old Covenant “died without having obtained what they were promised.” In a more drastic way than Christians, they learned what it means to live here below as “strangers and guests”, seeking a homeland that lies entirely beyond their present, passing existence. For in Jesus’ experience and by receiving the Holy Spirit, Christians have not only glimpsed their heavenly homeland “from afar” but, as John says, they have “seen, heard, and touched the Word of eternal life”, and, as St. Paul says, they have received the Holy Spirit as a down payment. Thus, they can and must journey towards the fulfillment of the promises with greater certainty and responsibility.

The first reading shows that even in the Old Covenant faith did not entirely lack certainty. There were proclamations of events that came to pass, as in the night of the Passover or in God’s promise to King David or the prophets’ statements about the exile and its duration. Every attentive person receives signs of this sort. Through these signs God is showing him that he is on the right path. If he is going to require faith of him, he does not leave him in uncertainty even though he may occasionally put him to a severe test, as was the case with Abraham or many of the prophets. Ultimately, faith dare not depend on signs and wonders, because they do not help in one’s readiness for arrival and departure but one should rely on the faithfulness of God, who keeps his word inviolably. With Christ, a call for readiness in anticipation of arrival for departure should not create anxiety and uneasiness but rather hope; and the Christian should take Jesus’ Words as a down payment towards full payment.