Gospel: Luke 12:32-48
Do not be afraid, little flock, for it has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom. Sell what you have and give alms. Get yourselves purses that do not wear out, and an inexhaustible treasure in the heavens, where no thief comes and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Be ready, dressed for service, and keep your lamps lit, like people waiting for their master to return from the wedding. As soon as he comes and knocks, they will open the door to him. Happy are those servants whom the master finds wide-awake when he comes. Truly, I tell you, he will put on an apron, and have them sit at table, and he will wait on them. Happy are those servants, if he finds them awake when he comes at midnight or daybreak! Pay attention to this: If the master of the house had known at what time the thief would come, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.” Peter said, “Lord, did you tell this parable only for us, or for everyone?” And the Lord replied, “Imagine, then, the wise and faithful steward, whom the master sets over his other servants, to give them wheat at the proper time. Fortunate is this servant if his master, on coming home, finds him doing his work. Truly, I say to you, the master will put him in charge of all his property.
But it may be that the steward thinks, ‘My Lord delays in coming,’ and he begins to abuse the male servants and the servant girls, eating and drinking and getting drunk. Then the master will come on a day he does not expect, and at an hour he doesn’t know. He will cut him off, and send him to the same fate as the unfaithful. The servant who knew his master’s will, but did not prepare and do what his master wanted, will be soundly beaten; but the one who does unconsciously what deserves punishment, shall receive fewer blows. Much will be required of the one who has been given
much, and more will be asked of the one who has been entrusted with more.
Reflection:
"Be ready, dressed for service."
Read: The Book of Wisdom recounts the confidence of the People of Israel in God’s promise, and they offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving. The Letter to the Hebrews describes the nature of faith as “the assurance of what we hope for”, and it is this faith which will grant us God’s favour, as it did our ancestors. Jesus teaches that the disciples are to hold on to their faith, even if the end is not so soon. They are to remain faithful servants of the Lord.
Reflect: The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis continue to have a great popularity among young and old, with some of the books being made into films. However, the final book of the series is perhaps less widely read. Aslan the great lion has not been seen for many generations, and some start to lose faith in him, even doubting that he ever existed. The lion symbolizes Christ, as Lord and Saviour. In today’s Gospel Jesus also prepares his disciples for a time when he will not be physically with them, so that their faith might remain strong until he comes. The Gospel teaches us that Jesus wants us to stay “dressed for service” and faithful to God’s will, rather than falling away and losing our practice of the virtues.
Pray: Meditate on having your lamp lit, ready to serve Christ in others and to welcome him at the last.
Act: Talk to older members of your family about their faith and what it means to them.
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