Giving Up All

19^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

August 7, 2016

Luke 12:32-48

“For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be (Luk 12:34).”

Are we ready to sell everything we have and follow Jesus? Are we prepared to give up our dreams and ambitions for the Kingdom? Are we willing to place our hearts, our treasures where no moth can destroy and no thief can steal?

St. Dominic de Guzman whose feast day we will celebrate tomorrow, is a shining example for us to emulate. When he was a canon regular in the Cathedral of Osma, Spain, he was actually a rising star. He was elected sub-prior at a very young age. To be a sub-prior means he was next to the leader of the Cathedral and was groomed to the position of the Bishop. Osma was a fortified city and had a beautiful Church. Osma provided Dominic tranquility and comfort when wars and famine ravaged portions of Spain. He was also prepared to take the coveted position in Osma as its bishop. Yet, Dominic decided to abandon all of these. Facing overwhelming difficulties and life-threating dangers, he went to preach the Gospel in Southern France where the heretic group, Albigentians, took its root.

St. Dominic and many other saints are indeed illustrious models of this evangelical self-giving, but how many among us are doing what the saints did? In all honesty, many of us are not ready to do what Jesus commanded in today’s Gospel. Some of us cannot simply sell everything we have because we need to feed our children and send them to school. Some cannot just give up their studies because they need to prepare for a better future. Some of us have to run our businesses because we are responsible for the lives of our workers and their families. I myself have to admit that it is difficult for me even to let go of my book collections.

We are entangled with so many complexity of life. Yet, deep inside us, we always feel that yearning to surrender everything for the sake of the Kingdom. Sometimes, the best thing we can do is to do simple sacrifices everyday.

A mother who wakes up early morning, prepares the breakfast for the family, brings her children to school, go to work to earn a living, cooks dinner for her husband, and basically puts aside her dream to work with the urban poor, is truly giving herself to the Lord. I have a friend who is young, intelligent and very determined to become a priest. I am sure that he can become a good priest someday. But, his father is old and sickly, his siblings are still studying, and his mother earns very little. With a heavy heart, he decided to leave the seminary and work to help his family. He sacrificed his hope to serve the Lord as a priest, yet he surrenders his life to serve the Lord, through his family.  

I do believe that God is very compassionate and merciful. He understands our daily struggles to follow Him. Thus, God does not leave us alone. He empowers us in our struggles and His grace enables us to give our lives despite the complexity of our lives. 

St. Dominic de Guzman, pray for us!

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP