Taken Away

"Take care, then, how you hear. To anyone who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he seems to have will be taken away." (Lk 8:17-18)

This are the final words of today's Gospel. Take care, then, how you hear... HOW YOU HEAR... This expression has taken me strongly this morning during the Mass at Sisters' place, as I always celebrate there, while being at home...

How do we hear? That is an interesting question. What kind of filter do we use in our understanding of the words thrown at us day and night, incessantly from all directions...What we tend to retain from that noise? Each one of us has to give an account on the personal usage of those filters... Do I filter Word of God and retain the clutter of the world? Do I filter the clutter and retain the Word of God? Do I accept everything and mess up everything in me, becoming disoriented and dysfunctional?

There is another interesting issue in the Gospel of today. Even what he seems to have, will be taken away...How many times have we witnessed to the truth of these words... Economical meltdown of recent years...how many thought they have - and they had not! We live in false security in Europe and America, glad that people die somewhere else so we can continue to live in peace and prosperity. How false is this presumption? We wake up to the sound of blasts, disorder, natural disasters etc... We forgot about God and do not need Him in our daily lives, but there are other people, praying on Fridays who remind us strongly by their public worship and stern practices...The European Union - with its cut off Christian roots, rejected and despised, will fall into hands of others, who will turn it into European Islamic Union. And we do nothing, pretending we are tolerant, safe and sound...We seem to have but we will soon see that this will be taken away from us...

Time to wake up and filter all clutter and retain the Living Word of God and live by it in our daily lives, proudly worshipping God and practising our faith in public with no false shame. You must go back to our roots. Time to renew in us a spirit of witnesses of the the true presence of Risen Christ amidst his followers...