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Gospel: Lk. 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.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Have you ever purchased a lottery ticket?
The total for the Mega Millions Jackpot last night was $94 million! I’m not sure if anyone won or not, but I can give you 94 million reasons why I’m glad I didn’t.
“To whom much is given,” Jesus says in today’s Gospel, “much will be required.”
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I’m sure the Lord has just as many plans for that jackpot as the winner does, but the Lord’s plans probably don’t include a fleet of fancy cars, a new wardrobe, a bigger home, or a dream vacation.
Rather, Jesus might say to the winner the same thing he said to the rich young man, “Go, sell what you have and give to the poor (all $94 million of it!). Then come, follow me.”
That’d be a tough, tough thing to hear. But, again, “to whom much is given, much will be required.” If you or I won the lottery, then we’d be held accountable as to how we used it.
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While we may not be monetary “winners” in that sense, we’ve all been given unique gifts and talents from the Lord, which God invites us to use in his service.
What are my strengths? And do I use them in the service of the Lord and his Church?
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While none of us woke up $94 million richer, we are all held accountable for how we spend our lives.
Let’s make each minute count, being good stewards of our gifts and time today.
To whom much is given – strengths, talents, and faith included – much will be expected.
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Image credits: (1) Tim Botts Caligraphy (2) Detroit Free Press (3) Christianity