Quod iustum | What is right

"You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not know how to interpret the present time? Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?" -  Luke 12: 56-57

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In this Gospel passage, Jesus asks us, as always, very difficult questions that should make us ponder more about ourselves and our attitudes towards God and the world. He asks why, while we are so knowledgeable about the world, we often know so little about God and Godly things, why we are often so unable to see God in our lives and in the world, why we have so many problems with distinguishing right from wrong.

I think that these questions can direct us to two concrete problems. First, we spend a lot of time and effort to learn about the world, to learn at school, for work, sometimes as a part of a hobby. There is nothing wrong there - we should learn about the world that God gave us. We should learn to be able to do our jobs well, to serve others and God. At the same time, however, we often do not put even the slightest part of this effort to know more about God - either through prayer, attending the Mass, study of the Scriptures or of spiritual readings. It is not easy in our busy days to find time, often we are just too tired after all daily work and chores. But there still should be a way in which we can learn. Jesus wants all of us to know more about Him, thus, He also definitely gives all of us the ways of learning that suit us best. We need to make an effort, however, to find this way, to open ourselves to God that teaches us about Himself.

That leads us to the second issue. When we open ourselves to God and to what He wants to teach us, we will also be able to notice Him better in everyday lives. God is here, close to us, but we often stay blind to His presence and works. One needs constant awareness and practice to notice Him, to learn from Him and about Him, and this way we also learn how to distinguish right from wrong. Knowing about God means knowing Love which God is. And that allows us to see things through the lens of the greatest commandment - the commandment of love.

Reflection on Luke 12: 54-59 by Agata Wierzbowska

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Spiritus novus (Ez. 36:26)

 

Two years ago, I had a new hobby; to feed fish in the pond. I indulged with this hobby when I was staying in one community and this community had a fish pond and a friend of mine gave a bunch of food fish for me.

Every day I took the time to feed the fish in the pond. Day by day, I was interested and glad every time seeing fishes swam to the surface of the water to eat the food that I gave. Through this activity, a new awareness arose inside me. Feeding fish means to feed ourselves. There is no economic advantage of feeding fish in a pond, but it does provide spiritual benefit. My soul is enriched, grows, and develops in establishing a relationship with other creatures.

Thomas Berry, an author of the Book of Christian Cosmology, said that all earthly beings were created from a single creature and therefore all are cousins. Long before that, the same thing experienced by St. Francis of Assisi who saw other living beings as brothers and sisters. Life is not only about building relationships with God and human beings, but also with the earth and all other living creatures that need to survive on the earth.

God put a new heart and a new spirit in ourselves. Consequently, every day we can admire nature and meet with Christ in everything that we see, hear, touch, and feel. Let us pray so that all people love nature and nurture it. Since we want to live peacefully on the earth.

By Fr. Aris Mada, SVD.