PRAYER: “O GOD, WHO THROUGH THE FOLLY OF THE CROSS WONDROUSLY TAUGHT SAINT JUSTIN THE MARTYR THE SURPASSING KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS CHRIST, GRANT US, THROUGH HIS INTERCESSION, THAT, HAVING REJECTED DECEPTION AND ERROR, WE MAY BECOME STEADFAST IN FAITH. 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”.
2Pt 1:2-7; Ps 90:2-2.14-16 and Mark 12:1-12.
Saint Justin was born in Samaria around AD 100. He studied various philosophies and was converted to Christianity at the age of 30. He taught first in Ephesus and later in Rome, where he opened a catechetical school. He wrote treatises defending the faith. He provided us with the earliest and most ancient descriptions of the baptismal rite and the Eucharistic celebration. Justin was martyred with six others, five men and a woman, during the persecution of Marcus Aurelius, in about 163 AD. Indeed, Justin Martyr was a true, genuine and credible witness to Christ Jesus.
In the portion of 2Pt, the author tells us that God’s divine power has bestowed on us everything that makes for life and devotion. Therefore, we should make every effort to supplement our faith with virtue, knowledge, self-control, endurance, devotion, mutual affection and love. The portion of the Gospel of Mark we reflect on is about some tenants a man entrusts his vineyard to, but who, at harvest time, not only refuse to give the owner of the vineyard some of the produce of the vineyard, but also beat, treat shamefully and eventually kill the only Son of the owner of the vineyard he sends to them.
This world is not our own. We are aliens here, sojourning to where we came from. Similarly, nothing in this world belongs to us. They belong to the Creator. We, at best, are custodians, watchmen/watchwomen or keepers of whatever we have in this world even if we think that we have toiled and sweated for whatever we have. The Creator-God is the giver of everything and he gives whatever to us to keep so that he can use them at will for the benefit of others. Secondly, God sometimes uses intermediaries to communicate with us and to give us his gifts. Sometimes he uses these intermediaries to tell us how to use our gifts. The tenants in the vineyard failed to understand this but behaved as if the vineyard were their property.
The lessons from today’s scriptures are relevant for us. Some of us, both in the religious (sacred) and secular world or arena sometimes behave worse than these hired tenants in the vineyard. We have experienced situations where some of us are put in charge of things (people’s property, or the public purse), people are put in offices and others are put in charge of people. We also have situations where God the Creator and Giver of everything has blessed some of us with wealth, riches and material possessions. Unfortunately, there are times some of us behave as if what we have, or what has been entrusted to us belongs to us and we can only use that selfishly. Those of us who have been behaving this way should feel sorry for that and ask for mercy and forgiveness from God.
As a way out, we need to grow deep in faith. This will lead us to understand that whatever we have and are, comes from God the Creator and we are only custodians. According to the portion of 2Peter we are reflecting on, other things that will supplement our faith in God are: virtue, knowledge, self-control, endurance, devotion, mutual affection and love. Anyone with such divine qualities will know and understand that whatever he/she has is not his/her own but belongs to God. Such a person will also always be ready and willing to give out some if he/she has to. Let us pray for these divine qualities so that we may behave as true and honest tenants of God in his vineyard regarding the gifts and talents that he has given to each one of us. May Saint Justin intercede for us. Stay blessed and happy feast to all who bear the name Justin.
WE MEDITATE TODAY, MONDAY, ON THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES: ‘THE ANNUNCIATION, THE VISITATION, THE BIRTH OF JESUS, THE PRESENTATION IN THE TEMPLE AND THE FINDING OF THE CHILD JESUS IN THE TEMPLE’. (LET US PRAY FOR HUMILITY, LOVE OF NEIGHBOUR, POVERTY IN SPIRIT, OBEDIENCE AND JOY IN FINDING JESUS) “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen”.
PRAYER: “REFRESHED BY HEAVENLY FOOD, WE HUMBLY IMPLORE YOU, O LORD, THAT, ATTENTIVE TO THE TEACHING OF SAINT JUSTIN THE MARTYR, WE MAY ABIDE AT ALL TIMES IN THANKSGIVING FOR THE GIFTS WE HAVE RECEIVED. WHO LIVES AND REIGNS FOR EVER AND EVER. AMEN.”
Rev. Fr. Aloysius Kpiebaya, Catholic Diocese of Wa, Upper West Region, Ghana. (00233-0207867239/0545462863. Email: aloybaya20@yahoo.com.
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