By Jacob Perikala csc –
Readings: Rom 15: 14-21; Lk 16: 1-8
In the first reading, St. Paul tells gentiles that the message he gave them was given by God. In the gospel, the dishonest manager was trying to safeguard himself after he was removed from the job. If he had used the same knowledge for good purposes, he would have been accepted by the master, but he failed to do so. God has a plan for each one of us and we are not born randomly. When we discover the purpose for which we are born, nothing can stop us from doing the will of God. The purpose is set by God himself. God is our father; he knows what we need at any time more than us. When difficulties arise in our life, he is there to comfort us. The comfort comes to us through different people.
In the present world, suicide rate is increasing because people are in an illusory world where they believe that there are no alternatives for problems in life. What we need to understand is that God does not abandon us in our sorrow, it is we who think that way. All we need to do is to wait for the right time for things to happen according to the will of God. God does not allow pain to inflict us more than what we can bear. When we face problems, we should be ready to let the will of God to play out.
Otherwise, we may become like the dishonest manager and may get into a wrong path to solve our issues. Without tasting defeat, I really cannot enjoy triumph. If I do not experience failure, I will not know how to overcome it. Saints Zachariah and Elizabeth experienced the pain of not having children, but they never gave up on their prayers or faith in God, which ultimately gave the gift of a child. I am invited to take them as an example and keep my faith in God.