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Gospel: 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.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Saint Augustine once said, “I am terrified by what I am for you, but given comfort by what I am with you. For you, I am a bishop, but with you I am a Christian.”
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As bishop of the local church in Hippo, or what is modern-day Algeria, Augustine was entrusted by God with the responsibility of caring for the spiritual welfare of his flock.
This included preaching the Gospel, teaching against heresy, administering the Sacraments, visiting the sick, burying the dead, managing finances, and so on.
This was a heavy yoke placed upon his shoulders, and he understood the enormity of the task. As Jesus says plainly in today’s Gospel, “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”
In addition to the weight of his flock, Augustine was also a towering intellect, a prolific writer, and the most influential theologian of his age, if not ever.
“I am terrified by what I am for you,” he says.
Had he misused his gifts – or led his flock into scandal – then the Lord would’ve held him accountable. This is partly why the pope and the local bishop are prayed for by name at each Mass; we ask God to grant them the grace to lead us honestly and courageously.
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Augustine’s consolation was not in his office as bishop, but in his identity as a baptized member of the Body of Christ. “I am given comfort by what I am with you,” he says.
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Fortunately, none of us has been given the enormous task of leading an entire diocese, or helping to shape Catholic theology as profoundly as Augustine did.
But we are all called to lead in various ways – I as pastor of this parish; you as protector of your family; all of us as Christians in this world. This responsibility should spark a holy fear – a type of awe – in our hearts.
We have been entrusted with much.
But with every layer of responsibility comes an equal – or greater – amount of grace. As Saint Paul reminds us, “We can do all things well through Christ who strengthens us.”
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Image credits: (1) Redbubble (2) FCE-Probitas (3) Seasonal Preaching