God is our Security

HOMILY | Ezra 6:7-8,12b 14-20 | Luke 8:19-21

Today our Gospel is teaching us about simplicity. Simplicity not only in doing mission but in our lifestyle. You may say this Gospel is intended only for the missionaries but apparently it is for all. The invitation for simplicity is for all. In as much as Jesus instructs his disciples on what to bring and not to bring to the mission, he also invites us all to be stewards of what and who we have with us, of materials and relationships most indispensible. To make do of what remains and what is available for us and not be longing for anything else. Being simple is being steward.

There is this new movement, a new perspective coming out which I find interesting. This new movement is called Minimalism. Less of an ideology, it primarily speaks about minimalist lifestyle, minimalist artistry. They advocate the beauty of living with things we certainly most need and getting rid of those we do not need. Living with 7 clothes, 2 shoes, a handful of pants, a week’s cycle of underwear’s may be; all simply telling us to use what we only need. To live with less and get rid of what is excess. Being a minimalist means you value yourself more than material things. It means making decisions based on what you need instead of getting everything you want. (definition from no side bar movement)

In a world of consumerism, in a world of insurances and investments, it is a new normal to safeguard the future. It is not bad to invest. What is bad is to be attached. Sometimes, our attachment to things and our desire for things speak of deeper emptiness, deeper longing. Pope Francis teaches us from Laudato Si: The Emptier the person's heart is, the more he or she needs things to buy, own and consume."

This is important for us Church people who live from one assignment to the other, carrying that which is necessary for the mission. To live with less but essential things. On the other hand, this also goes for every one of us who would like to get rid of burden from material things. The less you own, the less that owns you. In that way we could focus on what is most essential. In a christian way, it teaches us about relying on God’s providence, that when need comes, we could run to God and less from our unnecessary securities.

God is our security. Our first reading tells us for we are slave but in our servitude, God has not abandoned us. Amos was saying that God’s faithfulness is manifested in his completion of the temple, and so the temple is the reminder of His faithfulness. The Church is the manifestation of God’s faithfulness. May every time we see the Church we get reminded of the Faithfulness of God, to be reminded that God is our Security and we are mere stewards of his bounty.