Category: Uncategorized

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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

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Gospel: Luke 12:35-38

Jesus said to his disciples: 
“Gird your loins and light your lamps
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.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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At the time of Christ, the night was divided into three different parts – the first, the second, and the third watch.

Soldiers often took turns staying awake during these different “watches” to protect their land from thieves or invading armies.

The third watch of the night was inevitably the hardest, as it lasted from the darkest hours of the night until sunrise, roughly 2 – 6 am. 

Staying awake demanded vigilance.

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That’s the same type of vigilance – or determination – that Jesus urges us to have in our spiritual lives, always being ready for his return.

Statistically speaking, it’s unlikely that Jesus will return to earth tonight; in fact, it’s been almost 750,000 days since he first promised to return!

But what would it look like for us to have our affairs in order? How could we prepare for Christ’s return as if he were coming tonight?

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First, we’d want to resolve all conflict; forgive wrongdoings; offer apologies where needed; and go to confession. Then we’d probably tell others we love them; thank those who’ve been good to us; or hug a friend.

“Blessed are those servants,” Jesus says, “whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.” These are the ones guaranteed entrance into his kingdom.

Even if the Lord doesn’t return tonight, doing those things that tidy up our spirit – like healing and reconciliation – shows the Lord how seriously we take our faith; that we’re ready to embrace him whenever he decides to return.

Come, Lord Jesus.

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Image credits: (1) Ballardsville Baptist Church (2) Forward in Christ (3) What Christians Want to Know

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2 Timothy 4:10-17

Beloved:
Demas, enamored of the present world,
deserted me and went to Thessalonica,
Crescens to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.
Luke is the only one with me.
Get Mark and bring him with you,
for he is helpful to me in the ministry.
I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus.
When you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus in Troas,
the papyrus rolls, and especially the parchments.

Alexander the coppersmith did me a great deal of harm;
the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.
You too be on guard against him,
for he has strongly resisted our preaching.

At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf,
but everyone deserted me.
May it not be held against them!
But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength,
so that through me the proclamation might be completed
and all the Gentiles might hear it.

The Word of the Lord.

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Have you ever wondered what life was like for the first Christians? Who ran the race of life and kept the faith? Who gave up? Who stumbled but persevered in the end?

We find examples of all three in today’s first reading.

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First is Demas, who Saint Paul says became, “enamored with the present world.” Demas deserted the faith. What makes his story so tragic is that Paul writes about him earlier in his life, when he was an active part of the Church.

We don’t know why Demas gave up. Maybe he didn’t realize how heavy the cross of Christianity would be. Maybe he was too attached to worldly things. Maybe he just slowly drifted like some Christians do today.

Whatever the reason was, Demas gave up.

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Then Paul mentions Saint Mark. Paul is currently on his way to Rome, where he will be imprisoned – and ultimately beheaded. He’s reached the end of his days, and he calls upon Mark to help him.

This is a beautiful story of redemption and reconciliation, because Saint Mark deserted Paul on one of his missionary journeys. Mark was likely afraid of all the trouble Paul was encountering while preaching the Gospel, so he went home.

But the fact that Paul is calling upon him now is a sign that they were reconciled; the Holy Spirit awakened the hero once asleep in Mark’s soul.

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Finally, we hear of Saint Luke, whom Paul says is, “the only one with me.” Like Paul, Luke never stumbled once he met Jesus Christ; he persevered to the end.

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While Demas gave up – and Mark stumbled – Paul, Mark, and Luke all ran the race of life to the finish and kept the faith. 

May they pray for us as we hope to do the same.

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Image credits: (1) Catacombs, Wikipedia (2) The Evangelists St. Paul and St. Luke, Matthais Stop (3) Overwhelming Pride, WordPress