We are glad that you found us, the DEACON-5! Here, we will be posting daily Gospel reflections, Mondays through Fridays, each day written by a different permanent deacon in our group. We pray that you find inspiration and a touch of God’s love for sharing some time with us. Please feel free to leave a comment or a prayer request for us!
Blessings to you all! Deacon Ray Gallego, Deacon Mike Hidalgo, Deacon Paul Machuca, Deacon George Mora, Deacon Carlos Porras, Deacon Ray Emnace and Deacon Chuck McDaniels
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke 12:49-53
(Glory to you, O Lord!)
Jesus said to his disciples: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three; a father will be divided against his son and a son against his father, a mother against her daughter and a daughter against her mother, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”
The Gospel of the Lord (Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ!).
Reflection: Be faithful to the Gospel
How difficult it must have been for all the first generations of believers and followers of our Lord Jesus. Imagine the anguish that may have occurred between family members… as devout followers of the high priests and elders were torn between whether to follow the message of God’s Kingdom by our Lord Jesus, or to follow the leaders of their synagogues.
This reminds me of some of the episodes from “The Chosen” were they shared plausible stories based from the Gospels that showed that a division of hearts and minds occurred between family members, even among the Jewish rabbis… as some of leaders believed that Jesus is the son of God but were unable to publicly admit it, while others adamantly refused to believe that Jesus is that Messiah.
The high priest and elders wanted the Messiah to be an earthly king to rule over them…like king David, who went to war and defeated the enemies of the people of Israel. Unfortunately, most of the high priests and elders of the people also did not want to lose their place of honor as the leaders of the people, and they saw Jesus as a threat to the laws that they uphold and a threat to their status and their human comforts of life.
The high priests and elders did not understand that our Lord Jesus became human like one of us even though he was also fully God to fulfill the prophecies mentioned about him by the prophets… that the Messiah… the king of universe… was to suffer, die and be raised from the dead, and that God will place His spirit within His people… within all the faithful. Some of ask may be asking the question, why?
To prepare a way for all the future future disciples among all peoples whether Jew or Gentile, slave or free to be like Him… to be like Jesus who was the first one born from the dead … with a body that will never die… to make it possible for all of us… the exiles from Paradise because of the sin of Adam and Eve… to be redeemed,… to no longer be exiles… to no longer be slaves to sin… to allow us to be welcomed into God’s Kingdom in Paradise as the adopted sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father… just as God had planned from the very beginning!
This promise awaits all the faithful followers of Jesus who have received the Holy Spirit in our hearts through our baptism… and have made a choice in our minds to be guided daily throughout their lives by the Holy Trinity… to continue the mission of sharing the Gospel truth of God’s great love and mercy.. that we have a heavenly Father who is always ready to welcome and embrace us just like the Father in the story of the prodigal son! We have a God of mercy who smiles tenderly as He watches over us and He loves us all!
Action for the Day:
As we continue to accompany one another throughout our earthly life… make time to marvel and be filled with awe with the presence of God wherever we currently are. We are not alone… whether we are busy or we are quiet, in distress or at peace…Jesus is always with us…He is there to guide us today and every day through times of joy and challenges.
Acknowledge Jesus’ presence by sharing whatever is in our hearts and minds…then make the choice to respond and follow the gentle promptings of God’s Spirit that leads to holiness, mercy and peace… Our Lord Jesus will show us the way!
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: My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the more God gives us—whether it is knowledge, leadership, or blessings—the more He expects us to serve others.
There is this story about a man named Arthur, who was appointed Commissioner of Public Works, and entrusted with a massive federal grant, to rejuvenate the city’s low-income neighborhoods. Initially, he was diligent. But as luxury developers began “wining and dining him”, his priorities shifted. Arthur quietly rerouted the organization funds, to high-profile downtown beautification projects, near his donors’ high-rises. He ignored the decaying water lines in the disadvantaged districts, spending his afternoons at exclusive golf clubs, confident the federal review was years away. One day, during a private luncheon, Arthur’s chief of staff called in a panic. A federal task force had just launched an unannounced audit at the city offices. Arthur rushed back to find inspectors comparing his pristine downtown reports, against the neglected neighborhoods across town. His mentor, who had secured Arthur’s appointment, handed him a citation for fund mismanagement. Looking at him with deep disappointment, the mentor said quietly, “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.” Arthur stared at the state seal, realizing too late, that his public office was a heavy obligation to his citizens, not a platform for privilege.
Today’s Gospel is a powerful reminder, that challenges the comfort of complacency or gratification, reminding us that, a life of faith is not a passive waiting game, but a daily commitment to stewardship. We are called to live with our sleeves rolled up, actively loving and serving, so that whenever the Master returns, He finds us doing His work.
Influence, material wealth, knowledge, and spiritual insights are not badges of superiority; they are measures of responsibility. True leadership and faithful living mean that, as our blessings increase, our accountability deepens.
ACTION FOR THE DAY: Psalm 116:12 asks, “What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me?” Take a moment to reflect on this Psalm, and then on the following two points:
Consider the life, talents, and responsibilities God has given you, so far.
Then, take a quiet moment to evaluate, if your current choices and attitude, reflect gratitude for that trust from the Lord.
and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding,
ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.
Blessed are those servants
whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.
Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself,
have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.
And should he come in the second or third watch
and find them prepared in this way,
blessed are those servants.”
Reflection:
The main lesson I see in today’s Gospel is that of living a life of love, forgiveness, and holiness, even when no one is there to see. The story Jesus tells here is one to remind us of that simple, yet vital truth.
We who live in our century know that Jesus promised that He would come again one day. Those who heard those words thought it meant very soon, indeed, like within their lifetimes. Now, it’s been nearly twenty centuries since Jesus returned to His Father, and we are still waiting. The natural human tendency would be to slacken off if “the boss” is delayed. I know that I fight it myself in my non-Deacon job, knowing that, first of all, I work from home, where my boss is pretty much never going to come by and watch me working, and second, I have a position where I am trusted, so my boss doesn’t supervise me incredibly closely.
It’s up to me to keep discipline and make sure that I’m focused when I’m working, even if the boss will not usually ask me for something that I’m not expecting. It is quite similar in our faith lives. God has given each of us a job in His Kingdom, but He doesn’t sit on us, nagging us to do that job. He trusts us to choose to do that job with His help, and to have that as our main priority. What is different is the “shift” for that particular job.
At my regular work, I know that I can finish up at 5pm and not (usually) have to worry about it until the next morning. Our “heavenly shift” is one that ends when God calls us home, and we never know for sure when that will be. We can choose to be careful and not put ourselves in places of danger, but the unexpected can always happen.
This last weekend, I participated in a funeral for a gentleman at our parish named Joe. I understand that Joe was in generally good health, and he was having a fairly minor, low-risk, medical procedure done. There was an unexpected complication and Joe went to meet the Lord. To say it was a shock to Joe’s family would be an understatement. But, at his funeral, there was a prevailing sense of joy at the way Joe lived his life, and even if the timing were a mystery as to how it came about so quickly, there was little doubt that Joe’s life was one focused on doing the job that God gave him to do. I hope, when I get to the end of my “earthly shift”, that those who remember and celebrate my life have that same sense of joy, and hope, too.
Action for the Day:
If you find yourself getting distracted from your job for the Lord during your “earthly shift”, take time today to ask Him to give you a clear vision of that that “job” is, and of how you can prioritize it better. Then, make that your priority today to do something toward that heavenly “job”, and pray that the Lord helps all who are His to work tirelessly for Him, until we all are together in the heavenly kingdom one day.
Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” He replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?” Then he said to the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.”
Then he told them a parable. “There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’ Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God.”
Reflection: Greed is rarely just about wanting more. Often, it is an attempt to quiet an inner sense of fear or emptiness with money, status, possessions, or control. We may see it when we keep buying things we do not need to feel successful, compare our lifestyle with someone else’s, or hold tightly to our resources because we fear there will never be enough.
The rich farmer is not condemned simply because he is wealthy, hardworking, or blessed with a good harvest. He is called a fool because he is completely self-absorbed: his plans revolve around “Himself”. He never asks how his abundance might help a hungry neighbor, support his workers, care for his family, or serve the wider community.
The farmer acts as though he owns tomorrow. We can fall into the same trap when we postpone time with family, delay making peace with someone because we assume there will always be another chance or sacrifice our health and spiritual life to build financial security.
True foolishness is betting our whole life on things we cannot keep while ignoring the One who holds our next breath. It is possible to prepare carefully for retirement yet remain unprepared to forgive, to serve, to pray, or to meet God.
All of this reminds me of a story that I don’t have to repeat; it’s the story about “Scrooge”. Jesus contrasts storing up treasure for ourselves with being “rich toward God” (Luke 12:21). Being rich toward God means receiving our life, time, abilities, and resources as gifts entrusted to us. In practice, it may mean creating room in the budget to help someone in need, sharing a meal with a lonely neighbor, using professional skills to serve a parish or community, giving an employee fair treatment, visiting a sick relative, mentoring a young person, or choosing time with family over another unnecessary purchase. The shift is from accumulation to generosity, from self-protection to trust, and from asking “How much can I keep?” to asking “How much good can I do with what God has given me?”
Action of the Day: Ask yourself: What gifts am I holding back, and who could benefit from them? Wealth is not only money; it can also be friendship, love, compassion, joy, or simply a listening ear.
At that time: So many people were crowding together that they were trampling one another underfoot. Jesus began to speak, first to his disciples, “Beware of the leaven–that is, the hypocrisy–of the Pharisees.
“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. I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more. I shall show you whom to fear. Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one. 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.”
Reflection:
Have you ever played the hide your face from behind your hands with a baby. By hiding our face, we pretend we disappear then, to the delight of the baby, reappear when we move our hands away from our face. The whole time we are never really out of their sight. That is how absurd we can be with our inequities. Our transgression can be easily seen but we act like no one is aware. This reminds me of a saying that is attributed to President Abraham Lincoln, “You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.”
Jesus is giving us an ominous warning that we can never truly hide anything and that all shall be revealed. More so he identifies how hypocrisy can infect us and our environments and cause damage that affects many. And, in addition to that he talks about how we should fear the one who can do more than kill our bodies. We should fear the one who can cast us into hell where our soul could meet the ultimate punishment of a life lived in the hypocrisy of unrepented sin.
Are we left to despair this bleak outcome. No. As always, God shows His tenderness and compassion by reminding us how much he loves us. Like the birds of the air, we are under the constant loving gaze of our Father and Creator. He made us and everything He creates is good. Yes, we have a tendency toward sin, but we are also His divine creation. When we realize how much God loves us and that He gives us everything we need to walk in the light then we can exist without fear and be the leaven that brings peace into the world. A peace that transforms us, everyone and everything around us.
Action of the day:
Through prayer, meditation, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, or other methods let’s dig into the deep part of our soul and search for something that we are hiding. Allow the reality that we can hide nothing from God and His mercy to cast a light that will reveal and release that which is hidden. What we might find is a freedom that allows us to grow in grace, and the knowledge of how much God loves us.
