God has created each of us for a purpose, grounded in Christian principles of knowing, loving, and serving Him. But He didn’t stop there; He has endowed us with many gifts to fulfill that purpose. He has given us a mind, a body, and a spirit to live out our calling in life. And at the end of our journey, He will ask us to give an account of how we used those gifts and fulfilled our purpose.
This Sunday’s Gospel presents us with this essential message, one that we have heard multiple times before. However, this message is particularly relevant in the present context of our lives. We are living in a troubled world, where wars, hatred among races, and a lack of leadership in society weigh on us heavily.
Now, more than ever, the Lord calls us to work towards a more peaceful, united world and a strong, faithful Church. We must be conscious of the urgent need to instill faith in the lives of our children, youth, and families.
God calls us to bear witness to the truth. It is through our loving relationship with Jesus Christ and our adherence to His teachings of love, mercy, justice, kindness, empathy, and compassion that we can heal our broken world.
Thus, we are urged, including our children, to become instruments of healing in a world plagued by hatred, racism, and division. It is crucial that our children learn the values of peacemaking and respect for the dignity of every individual from their early years of education.
We can demonstrate this call for healing, peace, and unity in our diverse parish community. It starts with intentional and genuine smiles to those sitting next to us in the pews, and to everyone we meet at church and in our neighborhood.
God’s assessment of our lives on earth is not solely based on how well we used our gifts; it is about how we treated our families, friends, neighbors, and others with love, charity, kindness, and mercy.
Therefore, let us strive to live lives that embody these virtues, whether it is in using our talents to serve others, acting with love and kindness towards those in our lives, or actively participating in building a more peaceful and united world. Each of us has a vital role to play in fulfilling our purpose and bringing God’s love to a world in desperate need of healing.
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The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.
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Fr. Rodel “Odey” Balagtas is the pastor of Incarnation Church in Glendale, California.
