Luke 12:32-48

Wisdom 18:6-9

Psalm 33:1, 12, 18-19, 20-22

Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19 or Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-12

Luke 12:32-48

Jesus said to his disciples:

“Do not be afraid any longer, little flock,

for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.

Sell your belongings and give alms.

Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out,

an inexhaustible treasure in heaven

that no thief can reach nor moth destroy.

For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.

“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.

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, the master will put the servant

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.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I work to store up heavenly treasure with you. Your will is our sanctification. Guide me as I seek to grow in holiness and help others grow in your grace. I hope that I will be faithful and that you can entrust me with more for your kingdom.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Inexhaustible Treasure in Heaven: The Gospel contains three important teachings of Jesus. The first is the need to store up treasure in heaven, and we do this, it seems, through detachment from earthly things and by giving alms to those in need. The second concerns the need to be prepared for the coming of the Son of Man. The third is about those called to govern and care for the family of God. Jesus appointed Peter as the royal steward of his kingdom. Peter and his successors are to be faithful and prudent stewards who give the servants their food – the Eucharist – at the proper time.

2. You Must Be Prepared: As Jesus and his disciples journey to Jerusalem, Jesus teaches that all of his disciples, as servants of the Lord, must be ready and vigilant at all times. “Gird your loins” refers to how ancient peoples secured a garment, such as a long robe or tunic, around the waist. It was done before certain types of work or for battle, since it allowed a person to have greater freedom of movement. It is an expression that means: “prepare yourself for something difficult or challenging.” A Christian must be actively vigilant. “The image of the Passover lies in the background – the great liturgical vigil when Israel awaited the arrival of the Lord to take them away and betroth them to himself at Sinai. Thus the imagery of staying awake on a wedding night” (Bergsma, The Word of the Lord: Year C, 361).

3. Old Testament Examples of Faith: For the next four weeks, the Second Reading will be taken from the concluding chapters of the Letter to the Hebrews. The main topic of the letter, which was likely originally preached as a homily, is the faithful and merciful high-priesthood of Jesus Christ. The homilist ends the sermon by applying the doctrine to the lives of his listeners. Christians are called to imitate both priestly attributes – fidelity and mercy – in their lives. Tin Chapter Eleven of the Letter to the Hebrews, the homilist speaks about the first attribute and the faith of Abraham, who believed in the promises the Lord made to him. Abraham trusted the Lord when he was called to leave his homeland. By faith, Abraham trusted in God’s promise that he would father a son in his old age. The ultimate test of Abraham’s faith came when God asked him to offer up his son, Isaac. The homilist says that Abraham trusted that God would raise his son from the dead. In many cases, the patriarchs like Abraham did not see the realization of the promises made to them. “Abraham, for example, was promised the land of Canaan but died owning only a single small plot of it. Abraham and the other Old Testament heroes lived lives of faith, detached from the things of the world because they were nomads on the earth, journeying toward God’s promise but not settling down. The sacred author asserts that ultimately their faith and hope were focused beyond this life, in God himself. In this, they set us an example” (Bergsma, The Word of the Lord: Year C, 358). 

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are the descendant of Abraham, the New Isaac who unleashed the blessing of the Holy Spirit – the forgiveness of sins – upon the families of the world. You are the Lamb sacrificed for us and the one who opened the gates to the heavenly Promised Land. I praise you and I thank you.

Living the Word of God: How am I serving my household? Am I feeding my family materially and spiritually? Am I an example of faithfulness and trust (hope) in the Lord? What promises of the Lord do I have before my eyes?