October 23, 2018 Tuesday
29th Week in Ordinary TimeJohn of Capistrano
1st Reading: Eph 2:12–22 Gospel: Luke 12:35-38
Jesus said to his disciples, “Be ready, dressed for service, and keep your lamps lit, like people waiting for their master to return from the wedding. As soon as he comes and knocks, they will open to him. Happy are those servants whom the master finds wide-awake when he comes. Truly, I tell you, he will put on an apron and have them sit at table and he will wait on them. Happy are those servants if he finds them awake when he comes at midnight or daybreak!”
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in
the Assimilated
Life Experience)
Today’s Gospel message to “be ready, dressed for service” is relevant to a country like ours burdened by the onerous problem of poverty. Jesus had predicted that the poor will always be with us (Mark 14:7). The context of poverty was different when Jesus made similar statements. However it’s the same problem of poverty we are facing today.
Many solutions have been proposed to address the problem of poverty. A popular one is Todaro and Smith’s theory that a “sustained elevation of an entire society and social system” leads to “better” or “more humane life”. As to how exactly that good life is to be achieved, Todaro and Smith (Economic development, 2003) hinted at the satisfaction of the triple human needs namely, sustenance, self-esteem and freedom from slavery.
Good life is achieved when man’s sense of self worth is promoted. The concept of what gives citizens a sense of self-worth may vary from culture to culture. But all agree that self esteem is upheld when one is not used as a tool like cogs in a wheel. Government systems determined to use its citizenry like cogs in a wheel encourage citizens to believe that some are born to be poor and destined to die poor. A misunderstanding of the biblical verse “happy are the poor” tends to support this. We must emphasize, however that the “happy are the poor” referred to by Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount is not material poverty but poverty in spirit – the readiness to embrace a lifestyle of humility and charity towards others. God does not want people to be materially poor if being so hinders living their lives to the full. Man fully alive is God’s greatest glory.
In sum, this theory of Todaro and Smith assures the attainment of the good life when development sets man free instead of using him as a tool like a cog in a wheel. It is one good theory to support. But we won’t see it operative in our time until everyone, not just our government officials, is “dressed, ready to serve”. – (Atty.) Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., D.M. Email: dan.delosangeles@gmail.com.
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