THE WORD
Rom 4: 1–8 / Lk 12: 1–7
Meanwhile, so many people were crowding together that they were trampling one another underfoot. He began to speak, first to his disciples, “Beware of the leaven— that is, the hypocrisy—of the Pharisees.
“There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops. I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more. I shall show you whom to fear. Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one. Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God. Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.”
IN OTHER WORDS
Here in Australia, in an effort to aid umpires during games of rugby, cricket, tennis and other sports, they use various technologies like super slo-mo, microphone recordings, and even heat-sensitive cameras. In other words, there is no way one can cheat. If a player thinks that he can escape from the eyes of the umpire and get away with it, the technology is so advanced that any player who violates the rules will eventually be caught.
The gospel is a compilation of snippets of Jesus’ sayings and we can make at least half a dozen of reflections from this passage. But for now, let us focus on the saying “nothing concealed will not be revealed.” This saying makes us realize how all-knowing is our God; he knows what we are thinking and doing. In a way, we really cannot escape for he knows everything about us and knows us even better than we know ourselves. For many of us, this fact is quite scary because we might feel that God is a sort of a “Big Brother” who watches everything we do and from whom we can’t escape. Whatever “data” God gets could be used to judge us at the end of our life or at the end of time. But is this the God we know? Perhaps God sees our every move so that he may help us when we falter. Or entice us to come back and be reconciled with him.
Our God is a loving God, not a condemning God. However, while we know that God is a loving God, we should also be aware of our own actions. To love God, we must love him not only with our words but also through what we do and how we live our lives.
- Elmer I. Ibarra, SVD (Sydney, Australia)
The Word in other words 2015
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
