P aul says that there is no such thing as a victimless sin. Sin and death came into our world and the whole creation “was made subject to futility” because of it and has been “groaning in labor pains” ever since. Paul describes the present age, the age of paradise lost, with the following terms: sufferings, futility, slavery to corruption, and groaning. It is not a pretty picture and nothing is immune from it all.

Yet, there is hope.  The harvest of the age to come has begun in Jesus Christ. The future has begun. The future is now.

Tuesday in the 30th Week in Ordinary Time

Romans 8:18-25

Psalm 126:1b-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6

L uke 13:18-21 He said, therefore, "What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? (19) It is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his garden; and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches." (20) And again he said, "To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? (21) It is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened."

Meditation by George Butterfield

T he apostle Paul anticipates John Milton’s poetry by sixteen centuries. Milton wrote of Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained. The apostle Paul speaks of the impact on the whole creation of paradise lost and then sets forth the hope of paradise regained. One of the more fascinating aspects of what Paul says is that the loss of paradise did not just affect the human race. One of our modern notions is that sin only affects the sinner. Perhaps we should speak of “victimless sins.” Similar to the notion of victimless crimes, these sins do not really hurt anybody else and, if people want to hurt themselves, let them.


Paul says that there is no such thing as a victimless sin. Sin and death came into our world and the whole creation “was made subject to futility” because of it and has been “groaning in labor pains” ever since. Paul describes the present age, the age of paradise lost, with the following terms: sufferings, futility, slavery to corruption, and groaning. It is not a pretty picture and nothing is immune from it all.

Yet, there is hope. There is glory to be revealed for us, the glorious freedom that we will share as the children of God, the final adoption when we experience the redemption of our bodies. We are mortal. We die. Our bodies decay. But God is not even through with our bodies. Those bodies will be redeemed. The whole creation, including the most mortal part of it, has hope. So how should we live? With eager expectation, enduring the sufferings of this present time, and, looking to the future, we hope for what we do not see. I love the character played by Jeff Bridges in the 2003 movie, Seabiscuit. Charles Howard, the eventual owner of Seabiscuit, experiences many trials and tribulations but he seems to never fully lose hope. “The future is now,” he says. The apostle Paul said that, although we groan as we deal with the futility of life in a world where we suffer and die, we who are disciples of Jesus Christ “have the firstfruits of the Spirit.” The harvest of the age to come has begun in Jesus Christ. The future has begun. The future is now.

The history of the nation of Israel follows this same pattern of establishment, loss, and restoration. The people lost their temple, their land, and their nation. Would God ever restore any of it? For seventy years it appeared that he would not. Then, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, the Lord brought back the captives. It seemed like a dream. Eventually it dawned on them that it was for real. Then laughter returned, even the nations around them recognized the miracle God had performed, and the people rejoiced. The psalmist reflects on this turn of events. The God who made us go forth weeping and sowing in tears also brought us back rejoicing, carrying our sheaves. The apostle Paul looking forward and the psalmist looking back agree: the sufferings we endure now are nothing compared to the glory God has in store for us.

How much faith, hope, and love does it take to change us, our families, our parishes, our nation, and the world in which we live? Jesus said that the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed or leaven. Although it remains small, it has an impact on the world far beyond its size.

The future is now. The future is not yet. In the meantime, a little hope goes a long way

Supplementary Reading

THE SAmARITAN SToRy RETolD

Likewise, a Levite came to the place and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. – Luke 10:32

On my way to a cement plant in Bulacan, I saw these directional signs: Norzagaray Turn Left. Poblacion Turn Right. Paradise Straight Ahead.

How I wish it was this easy to go to heaven, just like going to a swimming resort. The Good Samaritan is one instructional story on how to go to heaven. In today’s increasingly complex and secular world, the story of the Levite, a priest, speaks to us because he knew the right thing to do but didn’t do it.

The world and the devil have easily muddled what is right with their many fallacies. They justify a wrongdoing with the bandwagon mentality — if everybody is doing it, then it must be right. Brazen lies, like the end justifies the means, have become the norm. 

But God’s truth is absolute and doesn’t change with time or popular opinion. By aligning our thinking with the Word of God we will know that we are headed in the right direction towards heaven.Rolly España

REFLECTION:

Do you act like the Levite, who knows the right thing to do but does not do it?

Lord, help me do Your will and not my own.

Thought of the Day

In the course of our Christian life, we are enabled to pass from one beginning to another beginning. But this process burns out if it does not draw its energy from an underlying continuity—the invisible presence of the Holy Spirit in us.

• 10/31/2009 17:43 - Nov 2, 2009 - Monday Meditation (All Soul's Day - Choices and Consequences)
• 10/23/2009 17:57 - Oct 31, 2009 - Saturday Meditation (Humility - Truth in Action)
• 10/23/2009 17:55 - Oct 30, 2009 - Friday Meditation (Extension of Jesus' Healing Hand!)
• 10/23/2009 17:52 - Oct 29, 2009 - Thursday Meditation (EL SHADDAI is our Protector!)
• 10/23/2009 17:50 - Oct 28, 2009 - Wednesday Meditation (Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary in HIS POWER!)

• 10/23/2009 17:39 - Oct 26, 2009 - Monday Meditation (Believe- Accept Jesus and Be Released from Affliction and Oppressi
• 10/23/2009 08:32 - Oct 25, 2009 - Sunday Meditation (Who We Are in God's Eyes?)
• 10/19/2009 09:26 - Can We Attribute the Homeland’s Desolation, Destitution, Chaos, Filth, Stench, Etc., Etc., to the Filipinos’ Lack of Spirituality?
• 10/16/2009 20:50 - Oct 24, 2009 - Saturday Meditation (REPENT! - Unrepented Sin Destroys Heart, Mind, Soul and Body!)
• 10/16/2009 20:47 - Oct 23, 2009 - Friday Meditation (Committed to the Growth of God's Kingdom?)