Philippine Asian News Today Vol 20 No 20 | Page 24

RELIGIOUS 24 Wisdom from the Word Ben Berto Matthew 20:13-15 New International Version (NIV) 13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ Matthew 20: 13-15, NIV At the eleventh hour, the thief on the cross turned to Jesus and said, “Lord , remember me when You come to Your kingdom.” And Jesus replied, Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23: 42,43. This is another topic that we will consider next time, but I want to relate this to the foregoing text about the God of the eleventh hour. Pastor Dwight Nelson has this devotional book “The Chosen” about God’s dream for us. God is a master of surprises, and He has a surprise for each of us. Don’t you know that He loves you and me with an everlasting love” So with out further ado, we will go on with the story of God’s eleventh hour surprise, retold in today’s setting. “Once upon a time there was a Moments Fr. Jerry M. Orbos, SVD The story is told about a pilot who volunteered to walk a blind man’s dog into the plane. Imagine the reaction of the passengers at the boarding gate when they saw the pilot, all dressed up, wearing sunglasses, with a guide dog walking on his side! Some were aghast, and some even thought of not taking the flight! In today’s Gospel (Mk. 10:46-52), Jesus healed a blind man named Bartimaeus. Notice how the crowd rebuked him when he started calling out to Jesus? All too often, sighted people misunderstand or totally belittle people who are visually challenged. Jesus took time to stop for someone “at the roadside.” It was a very affirming gesture. For Jesus, PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY October 16 - 31, 2018 THE GOD OF THE ELEVENTH HOUR farmer who needed day labourers to help harvest his sprawling vineyard. So early in the morning he jumped into his rusty pick up truck and drove into town to the corner where all the migrants who needed work show up. “ You guys want some work? Jump in. I’ll pay you the going rate for twelve hours”. The farmer drove his battered truck, now filled with migrants back to the vineyards where they worked hard. Three hours later, the farmer realized he had to have more help if this crop was going to be harvested by sundown. So back down the road in a cloud of dust he raced. And soon another pickup load of migrants joined the crew. Another three hours the farmer could tell he was still behind. So for more help, he drove back to town, and another pickup load showed up in the vineyards. Finally one hour before dark the farmer mutters, “I’ve got to have more help---or we’ll never have this done.” And when he hurried back to town he saw still more migrants standing on the corner wishing they had work. “jump in fellas! I need help and I’ll pay you what’s fair.” That evening when the twelve hours of harvesting were through, the farmer instructed his accountant to begin with the last hired and pay the workers. With astonished eyes and gaping mouths the eleventh hour migrants watched as the accountant counted out a full day’s wages for them. With glee the the migrants who’d been there from sunup did the arithmetic and concluded they were due a bonanza payday. But when they stepped up to the cashbox, they were paid the identical amount as all the others. The place erupted in angry voices. Jesus put the words of today’s text in the mouth of the farmer, and it’s its punchline that catches us. “Are you envious that I’m generous?” (Matthew 20: 15) “Could that be our problem, too? Are we envious because God is so generous ? How else can you describe this God who declares, ”Come to Me in the last hour of life, and I’ll give you the same gift to the people who walked with Me all there lives? No wonder, when God does salvation arithmetic, you can’t even count the numbers. No wonder, heaven will be so full. That’s why when God mobilizes the chosen He mobilizes their hearts to be as generous as His, so that there is no human being on earth that they would not gladly receive into his kingdom.” There will be great joy in that day when God will say to His redeemed Chosen People,(not the original chosen people) “Come you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world.” One hymn writer once wrote, “Someone will enter the pearly gates, /By and by, By and by. /Tastes of the glories that there await. / Shall you, shall I, Shall you, shall I.”…Someone will cry and shall not be heard/ Vainly will strive when the door is barred./ Someone will fail of the saints’ reward/ Shall you, shall I.” For questions and Bible Studies, call, Ben at 604 581 1278, Junjun at 778-927- 8040, Stanley at 604-700- 3053 and Pastor Leomar Macaraig at 604 928 3579. The Abundant Life Seventh-day Adventist Church meets at the City Center Church on 13062 104th Avenue, Surrey on Saturdays. All are welcome to attend. Worth stopping for every person is worth stopping for. Let us ask ourselves today: Do I stop for the last, the lost, the least, the insignificant and the “worthless” in our midst? Notice, too, how Jesus helped Bartimaeus not out of pity or condescension—as we often do when we help the “less fortunate” in our midst? Jesus empowered the blind man by first asking him “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus affirmed the person’s importance and dignity not by giving a dole out, but by first giving respect. The greatest disrespect for our people comes from politicians and government officials who buy people with money that was stolen from them in the first place. They throw a little bread and entertainment and continue to fool them and steal from them. Instead of empowering our people, many of our politicians have mastered the art of making the people dependent on and beholden to them. They become gods, and so too their children, because they know how to use money. Simply put, they have reduced politics and governance to “pera pera lang yan,” and treat our people as “mukhang pera lahat yan.” “Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.” I praise and thank God for people who help us on in our journey by their kind and encouraging words, by their prayers, care and support. It is heartwarming to know that there are so many people who are enablers and who cheer us on. Oh, there are stalkers, talkers, fault-finders and bashers as well. Are you an enabler or a disabler—worse, a basher? I and my classmates, Fr. Gil Alejandria, SVD, Fr. Bebs Alcober, SVD, and Fr. Vic Tiam, together with Ted Terrenal, Eggai Matias and Jules Quinabo, celebrated our 38th priestly ordination anniversary last Oct. 25. We sang our class song, “Why me, Lord?” in gratitude for God’s love and faithfulness in spite of our failings and unworthiness all these years. Sharing with you the lyrics of the song by Kris Kristofferson: “Why me, Lord/ What have I ever done/ To deserve even one/ Of the pleasures I’ve known/ Tell me, Lord/ What did I ever do/ That was worth loving You/ For the kindness You’ve shown?/ Lord, help me Jesus/ I’ve wasted it so help me Jesus/ You know what I am/ But now that I’ve known/ That I need You oh so help me Jesus/ My soul’s in Your hands.” Next week, we will be celebrating All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. We are reminded that our life on earth is temporary, and that we WWW.PHILIPPINEASIANNEWSTODAY.COM have a soul, and that heaven is our final destination. Instead of being so engrossed in worldly pursuits and concerns, we should be preparing, too, to meet our Creator, which may come sooner than we think, at a time when we least expect. Think about this: “Speed is calculated with ‘miles per hour,’ but life is calculated with ‘smiles per hour.’ Are you happy? Are you truly happy?” A moment with the Lord: Lord, remind us that every person is worth stopping for. Amen. ([email protected])