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27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C
Mercy Ridge Hermitage
October 6, 2019
The Effects of Having a Vision for Life
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
The Vision
Today, I am focused on one word in the Scripture passages – the word vision.
The prophet Habakkuk in the first reading says: “Write down the vision. [And be patient because] the vision will have its time.”
He wants to make sure that they will remember the vision when life is tough – as it was when Habakuk was speaking. That’s why he tells them to write it down.
Habakuk’s advice about the vision is important
Ø We are to see the vision
Ø We are to trust the vision
Ø And we are to live the vision
1. See the Vision
First, we are to see the vision.
This means that we need to see Jesus himself. We are to see him as the way to God and the way to know God because he is the Son of God
And so, we need to work to know Jesus just as thoroughly as we can. We are to see his vision of God as a loving Parent – One who loves us unconditionally
We are to see his vision of ourselves – as human and sometimes sinful, yes, but also as worthy and beloved by God. And we are to see his vision of all humanity – of all persons as God’s sons and daughters
This vision gradually shapes who we become as persons. It shapes how we see our life, ourselves, others, our world and God himself
2. Trust the Vision
Then, with this seeing, we are to trust the vision
Here we have to go back to the first reading – the prophet Habakkuk. The people are suffering and crying out to God
“How long will this last, O Lord? We are surrounded by violence and destruction
“There is strife and discord everywhere. So, how long, O Lord, how long?”
And the Lord, through the prophet, reassures them: “Write down the vision. [And be patient because] the vision will have its time.”
So, we are to trust the vision. Perhaps we are in the middle of difficult chemotherapy treatments
Or maybe we are in-between jobs and worried about how we are going meet our mortgage and cover all of our other bills. In situations like these, God asks us to trust the vision
God asks us to trust that Jesus is walking this journey with us. God asks us to trust that the Holy Spirit will give us the strength we need to get through it all and so we hang on, we rise each morning with a sense of hope, and place one foot in front of the other
3. Live the Vision
And then it follows that we are to live the vision very intentionally – that is, with intentionality
Jesus says today:“If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can move mountains.” In other words, we are to set out to live the vision that faith gives us
So, a child or teen is to tell their parents the truth about what they did even if there will probably be a punishment. They tell the truth.
Or, we support human life not just in one area or on one issue, but in all areas and on all issues – wherever there is human life. Even though it is not simple and we have to think it all through carefully, we are consistent in our life ethic
So, we live the vision. We make this a priority, or rather, the priority in our lives.
Conclusion
And, if we do this, as Jesus says in the Gospel, this in itself will be our reward.
This is what Jesus means when he talks about the servants not expecting the master to wait on them. Here Jesus isn’t talking about how a master should treat servants or how we are to treat one another
Instead, he is talking about our vision of ourselves – all of us, you and I seeing ourselves as servants of God. He doesn’t want us to expect, acclaim, or feel entitled to this or that
Rather, he wants us to (1) see the vision, (2) trust the vision, and (3) live the vision. And he is saying that an inner satisfaction and peace will be our reward and we will find that more than enough.
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