Precious

A Reflection on the Gospel of Luke 12:1-7; 20 October 2023

By Deacon Mark Mueller

Have you ever experienced or been surrounded by a mob trying to get something they want? Don’t get in the way! It can be dangerous! Consider Black Friday’s, where only those who get into the store first get the limited number of deals available. Politeness, concern for the other, care, and a help-up for the weak are often thrown aside to be the first to gain that “one thing” that will make me/us happy. It is the world where my personal happiness eclipses all others. Sadly, we are a society that has become increasingly numb to this. We have grown used to seeing YouTube or TikTok videos of people wrestling and fighting over that last PS5 or Xbox on Black Friday. The mob will happily trample all those who are not strong enough to get what they want. Pope Francis writes,

The great danger in today’s world, pervaded as it is by consumerism, is the desolation and anguish born of a complacent yet covetous heart, the feverish pursuit of frivolous pleasures, and a blunted conscience. Whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor. God’s voice is no longer heard, the quiet joy of his love is no longer felt, and the desire to do good fades. (Pope Francis EG 2)

Jesus tells us today that none of this escapes God’s notice. Nothing—not even the most insignificant,

"There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops. (Luke 12:2–3 NABRE)

For the mob in the Gospel today, it has also become about “me” being first, “me” receiving the gift of healing, and “me” standing next to the great teacher. In their estimation, “they” are more important, better, stronger, of greater worth than those they trample upon, who are poorer, weaker, and in the estimation of those who are trampling them, worth-less.

Meanwhile, so many people were crowding together that they were trampling one another underfoot… (Luke 12:1 NABRE)

Not much has changed when you compare this to the mobs of today. Though Jesus, “gets us,” despite our oft declared love of Jesus, we so often fail to “get” Him. In professing Christ and at the same time trampling the other, we are not far from the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. Jesus consistently rejects the “me first” mentality. How often do we hear in the Gospels, “many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.” (Matthew 19:30 NABRE)

For those who are trampled, they are often left in the dust. They are, in the eyes of the world, and often, sadly, in their own eyes, worth less. That is not how God sees them. We hear in the Gospel,

Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God. Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows. (Luke 12:6–7 NABRE)

Jesus tells the crowd that, five sparrows are sold for two small coins, “yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God.” These two small Roman copper coins, called an assarion, were worth less than one-sixteenth of a day’s wage. These five sparrows may be of little value in the world’s eyes; yet God knows and cares for each of these sparrows individually as precious. That goes for us as well. Jesus tells us that God numbers even the hairs of our head; although, the older I get, the less the Lord must count. Jesus implied that every soul is not only of infinite worth, but each is precious in the eyes of God. Indeed, that precious nature finds its roots in God’s initiative, not in what we do, but who we are.

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Because you are precious in my eyes and honored, and I love you, I give people in return for you and nations in exchange for your life. (Isaiah 42:25 NABRE)

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Yes, God cares for each one of us. We are not just one among many but, individually precious. Therefore, we must tread lightly that we do not trample but instead, lift up, those brought low. More important, though God knows everything about us, from our darkest sin to our spiritual triumphs, our wants and needs, our deepest desires, we too are never ever anything less than precious in His eyes. In reflecting on the Gospel today, recall that God numbers every hair on your head, so be not afraid, you are precious in the eyes of the Lord; not worth less, but of infinite worth and rejoice! If you ever doubt this, fix your eyes on the crucifix. Jesus suffered and died on the cross for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). That is how precious you, we, every soul, is, and will always be.

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“For Catholics it is a fundamental dogma of the Faith that all human beings, without any exception whatever, were specially made, were shaped and pointed like shining arrows, for the end of hitting the mark of Beatitude.” (G.K. Chesterton as quoted in Fagerberg)

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Endnotes

Fagerberg, David. Chesterton Is Everywhere. Steubenville, OH: Emmaus Road Publishing: A Division of Catholics United for the Faith, 2013. Print.

Francis. Evangelii Gaudium (EG). Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2013. Print. Apostolic Exhortation.

Luke 12:6. “Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Luke 12:1-7.” Pinterest, 2 Oct. 2017, www.pinterest.com/pin/304274518566923106/.

New American Bible. Revised Edition. Washington, DC: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2011. Print.