Tuesday, October 15, 2013

28th Week, Ordinary Time, Wednesday, 16-10-13

Romans 2:1-11 / Luke 11:42-46

A common situation exists where there are leaders and followers, or where there are superiors and subordinates, or with teachers and students.

It may be in an organization, or workplace, or classroom or even in Church.

Whether the person up in the front is a superior or a manager or a teacher or a priest, he/she will inevitably treat those under his/her charge differently.

For whatever reason, some will be treated with favour, some will be treated indifferently, some will just be overlooked or ignored.

That is understandable when we look at it from the perspective of relational chemistry.

So we have to admit that we are not impartial and also we are biased in varying degrees. In other words we often look at people with partial and biased standards.

That can be detrimental in situations where the "favoured" ones get away with something that others will be severely punished.

The last line of the 1st reading says that God has no favourites.

That means that God is impartial, that He loves everyone regardless of whether they are clever or attractive or influential or whatever.

That does not mean that we can't have close friends or talk more with people that we can relate better with.

It means that with those whom we can't easily relate with or even dislike, we still must treat them with fairness and not to impose on them burdens that are unendurable of mind or body.

God may not have favourites, but He will always come to the help of the poor and helpless. May we always remember that.