The Three Essential Guides to a Fulfilled Life. Monday 32nd Week
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Breakfast With the Word Monday 32nd Week Ordinary Time of the Year
Luke 17:1-6
A fulfilled life is a life full of meaning. It is living a life that satisfies our inner spirit and inner yearning for happiness and freedom. As Christians, we are called to be like our heavenly father.
It is a life with purpose, meaning and satisfaction. When one does something and is fulfilled, this sense of satisfaction and happiness comes to the heart of the person.
So, in the gospel today, Jesus gives us the three most essential guides to live a fulfilled life as His disciples.
It is a life of freedom, a life devoid of anything that will lead us astray or make us fall into temptation. It is a life that will make us free from God’s wrath and eternal damnation.
Always Be Careful.
In the gospel, Jesus tells His disciples ‘“Obstacles are sure to come, but woe for the one who will cause them! It would be better for him to be thrown into the Sea with a millstone put round his neck than that he should lead astray a single one of these little ones. Watch yourselves!
Before, this warning, Jesus takes His time to address the Pharisees since Luke 16:14, with this chapter, Jesus faces His disciples.
First of all, Jesus warns his disciples that temptations must surely come. Therefore, as Christians, we have to expect them. We must face them.
The Greek word that Jesus uses here is skandala which means “traps,” but symbolically means whatever that causes people to fall into sin.
Therefore, to live a fulfilled life as a Christian, we must avoid everything that may cause others to sin. We have to be careful of leading souls astray.
In essence, to live a fulfilled life as a Christian, we need to be interested in how to bring souls back to God and not to lead them away. Whoever lives His life touching lives always feels this sense of satisfaction.
Therefore, the “things that cause people to sin” must be avoided. In essence, we have to be careful in what we do or say.
Some people may be looking up to us. We need to be a light and source of salvation to them. Jesus says we have to “be careful” in leading people astray.
We have to avoid, talking people away from God, teaching them immoral things, giving bad examples to our flocks and becoming agents of damnation instead of salvation to them.
Jesus says that we have to be careful for it It would be better for the person to be thrown into the Sea with a millstone put round his neck than that he should lead astray a single one of these little ones. To avoid this is to live a fulfilled life.
A “millstone” is a stone of sufficient weight to crush grain in a mill. The “little ones” as the Greek word suggests is not just little children but young and every disciple of Jesus.
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Remember that in Matthew 11:25 Jesus calls his disciples little children when He was thanking the Father, for hiding the mysteries of the kingdom from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.
Therefore, we have to avoid things that will scandalise the little souls that come to us.
To live a fulfilled life, let us always see that as opportunities to save souls. Touching lives gives happiness to the heart.
Forgive Always.
Then Jesus also says to the disciples “If your brother does something wrong, reprove him and, if he is sorry, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven times a day and seven times comes back to you and says, “I am sorry,” you must forgive him.’
The word that Jesus uses is “must”. Therefore, we must always forgive. Therefore, when someone does something wrong to us, we have to rebuke him.
We have to confront the person immediately and allow the case or the problem to die a natural death immediately. Do not allow it to escalate, do not go around living in grudges.
If the person who does us wrong asks for forgiveness, we have to forgive and let go. We will live a fulfilled life when we live without grudges. Jesus says that even if the person wrongs you seven times a day and seven times comes back to you, we have to forgive.
The teaching on forgiveness is always hard for many people to accept, but Jesus wants us to be free.
Unforgiveness affects us and not the other way around. Therefore, to live a fulfilled life as Christians, we have to make sure that we forgive all the time. So, that we do not go to the world beyond, bearing heavy grudges in our hearts.
Be Strong In faith.
Because of these teaching, the apostles of Jesus says to Him ‘Increase our faith.’ Then Jesus replies to them ‘Even if your faith is the size of a mustard seed you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it would obey you.
The “mulberry tree” in Luke corresponds to the mountain in Matthew 17:20; 21:21; and Mark 11:23.
The mulberry tree grew quite large, to a height of some thirty-five feet, and would be difficult to uproot.
The mustard seed is proverbially small, a suitable metaphor for the amount of faith needed to do the seemingly impossible.
Therefore, what we need is just a little faith. Only a little faith can do wonders. Therefore, to live a fulfilled life, we have to be strong in faith against every challenge and obstacle.
We have to remain strong despite the problems that come to us. Also, we have to make sure that we keep our faith in God very strong.
This alone will give us strength, courage and confidence. Even when it looks as if God does not answer our prayers, we do not shake, because we know that our Father in heaven does not disappoint His children.
May God help us to live a fulfilled life. May we never be an instrument of destruction to others but a way of salvation. We pray that His grace be with you today. Amen
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