Reflection for August 10, 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Luke 12:32-48

Gospel: 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.”

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Reflection:

There is a story of an elderly woman whose days were never too busy for God. Every morning, she could be found at Holy Mass, her quiet devotion was a steady light to those around her. Yet her faith did not end at the church doors — she carried it into the streets, offering her time, her hands, and her heart to anyone in need of her help.  

When people asked why he lived that way, he would gently answer, “This is my way of preparing for the coming of the Lord.” He likened the coming of the Lord to death—an event that arrives without any warning, yet one that we must always be ready to face.  

In our Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus reminds us to always be prepared and to be vigilant servants of the Lord—like the Israelites in our first reading, who patiently waited with faith and courage for God to set them free from the bondage of the Egyptians. They trusted in His promise, even when the night seemed long, and they acted in faith until the hour of deliverance came.  

How, then, can we become vigilant and prepared servants of the Lord? By serving and obeying Him without reservation, and by nurturing a faith that is alive, active, and visible in the way we live each day. True readiness is not about fear of the unknown—it is about love for the One we are waiting for. 

If death should come to us—which will certainly happen at God’s appointed time—then, if we have lived in faith and obedience, we have nothing to fear. Instead, we will look forward to meeting our Lord and being with Him forever in His heavenly kingdom. 

But what if we are not prepared? What if we have lived distracted, careless, or indifferent? Where will we end up then? 

Today, the Lord’s message is clear: Be ready. Stay faithful. Live as though you could meet Him at any moment. Let every act of kindness, every prayer, every choice for good be your way of saying, “Lord, I am ready when You call.” – Marino J. Dasmarinas