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A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke (12: 39-48)
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Be sure of this:
if the master of the house had known the hour
when the thief was coming,
he would not, have let his house be broken into.
You also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
Then Peter said,
“Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?”
And the Lord replied,
“Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward
whom the master will put in charge of his servants
to distribute the food allowance at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so.
Truly, I say to you, he will put him
in charge of all his property.
But if that servant says to himself,
‘My master is delayed in coming,’
and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants,
to eat and drink and get drunk,
then that servant’s master will come
on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour
and will punish the servant severely
and assign him a place with the unfaithful.
That servant who knew his master’s will
but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will
shall be beaten severely;
and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will
but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating
shall be beaten only lightly.
Much will be required of the person entrusted with much,
and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”
REFLECTION: Today, Jesus is simply telling us, that things come, in the most unexpected way. That God is there every day. He sees everything we feel, and He is there, without us knowing that He is, making sure we will get through, with everything.
God is with us, every day, and not just in moments when we are happy, but also in the sad times in our lives. I would go as far as saying, that almost every person may have been tempted, at one point or another in their lives, questioning God, if He is there in their life. I know I have, and sadly, more than once in my life; in my marriage, in my career, in my family. Temptations, that by the grace of God, helped me become, a stronger believer in Him, that He was always there, even in my suffering, carrying me. A broken me!
A famous poem, that comes to my mind now, about God there with us in our suffering, and some of you might be familiar with, is “Footprints in the Sand”. If you have not seen or heard of it, I highly encourage you to look it up. It is by Margaret Fishback Powers.
The Gospel today, also has Jesus declaring, “Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so.” He was blessed, not because he just happened to be, about his duties coincidentally, at the very time his master returned, but because he was always about his duties. That is why Jesus describes him, as “faithful and prudent.” It did not matter, whether his master might return today, or in a month, or a year. That servant knew, there was only one thing, that would bring his master happiness, and that was, being faithful and prudent, and so he was blessed.
For us today, preparedness for the coming of our Lord, needs to be our goal and joy, each moment of our lives. And there is plenty available for every person to do, to prepare them for the coming of our Lord. But many people do not believe it.
We should not want to be ready, just in case, the Son of Man comes today, like a thief breaking into a house; rather, it should be our goal and joy, to be ready today, because there is no other way, to live today, that would give us such joy, on that day, when the Son of Man comes, and He will find us, faithful and prudent, so that passing to the next life, our atonement, will hopefully not be too long, but God willing short. Purifying us, so we may come to experience, even more, the “riches of Christ.” He will come again, He promised it.
ACTION FOR THE DAY: Are you convinced that God is really present in your life, in season, and even out of season? If so, how? Also, do a self-check, and look for ways you can better be a more faithful steward and more faithful disciple of Christ, preparing for His coming.
AUDIO REFLECTION:
LINK TO WEBSITE: https://deacon5.com/