GIVING OUT WHAT WE FREELY RECEIVED


THURSDAY, FOURTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Gen 44:18-21, 23-29,45:1-5; Ps 105:16-21; Mt 10:7-15

We freely Give what We Received freely

We have received heaven and God himself by our reception of the Gospel in faith. The gradual realisation of the contents of the heavenly gift leads to our gradual entrance into the eternal joy and gladness of the spiritual Jerusalem. From attention to the Word of God, we proceed to receiving the heavenly gifts he gives to us. The first of these gifts is the forgiveness of our sins. The forgiveness of our sins is first because it is the preparatory grace that makes us worthy to receive a new spiritual life. The forgiveness of our sins is simultaneous with our reception of the life of grace. The simultaneity is because our sins constitute the sole hindrance to our reception of the grace of God or participation in the life of God. Thus, if the Word of God is to make his home in us, he must take care of our sins first. Hence, the forgiveness of our sins is a result of our expression of faith in the Word of God. Our Lord’s interchangeable expressions in the Gospel demonstrate this understanding to us. These expressions are: “Your sins are forgiven.” Or, “Your faith has made you whole.” The forgiveness of our sins corresponds to our spiritual wholeness or newness, which we usually refer to as being in the state of grace. The Word took our nature so that he may take away our sins and reconcile us to the Father. It takes us our whole life to understand the value of this gift in spiritual life.

We can never appreciate enough the gift of God’s life to us by which we live a new and spiritual life. A deeper understanding of the nature of sin and our sinfulness helps us to appreciate the new life of grace. Sin is a rejection of God’s will and life for us, which takes us away from communion with him. By our sins, we establish communion with demons and forces of evil. The common ground or foundation for the evil communion is darkness (absence of light) or death (absence of life). Our forgiveness implies we have been rescued from death caused by our sins and transferred to life in Jesus Christ. The proclamation that Jesus asked the apostles to make to the lost sheep of the House of Israel contains this Good News. “As you go, proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils. You received without charge, give without charge.” The Church achieves these in the Sacrament of Penance. Since we cannot give what we do not have, it means that the apostles had what they were handing out to people, namely, the Good News. God forgave their sins because they believed and were attending to the Son of Man. They forgave sins because they received forgiveness. They saved people from the grip of death and evil because the Son of Man rescued them. The foundation of the powerful Sacrament of Penance is that the Son of Man has forgiven us our sins. “The Son of Man has the power to forgive sins.”

Joseph's knowledge of God’s gifts, and how God guided him to his exalted life and position, aided him in forgiving his brothers. When he saw how remorseful his brothers were for their evil deed against him, he broke down in tears. “Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Come closer to me.’ When they had come closer to him, he said, ‘I am your brother Joseph whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not grieve, do not reproach yourselves for having sold me here, since God sent me before you to preserve your lives.” When we receive a deep understanding of the mystery of God’s will and permitted will, we glorify and exalt him for all that led us to faith in Jesus Christ. The joy and gladness of the heavenly Jerusalem impel us to forgive others their sins as the Father has forgiven us our sins in Jesus Christ. The deeper our knowledge of the Son of Man, the more joyfully we proclaim the Good News of salvation to all. Our lack of faith in the Gospel is the reason for our inability to proclaim the kingdom of heaven. We are not attending to the Word and the Sacrament of the mysteries of the Son of Man with faith. The result is that our proclamation is neither effective nor efficient. The Psalmist, therefore, reminds us to remember the wonders the Lord has done in our lives. He has forgiven us our sins by sending his Only Begotten Son among us.

Let us pray: O God, your Only Begotten Son came among us as our brother that you may commence the work of our transformation into effective and efficient witnesses of your love and abiding presence, fill us with faith that will help us to abandon our sinful relations and proclaim the eternal gladness you have bestowed on us. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen. 

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