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:
A generous wealthy man gave away everything he owned to charitable institutions and to the poor in and around his affluent community. By the time he died, he practically owned nothing. Yet thousands upon thousands came to pay their respects at his wake. More importantly, the gates of heaven immediately opened for him upon his death. Why? Because he used his wealth for the right purpose.
What is the purpose of our life in this world?
In the Gospel, Jesus counsels us to travel light through life. What does traveling light mean? It simply means that we should not allow ourselves to become attached to worldly possessions, whether power, wealth, or material things. Worldly possessions come and go. They may leave us at any time, or we may leave them behind at any moment.
So, what is the value of accumulating worldly possessions if we can lose them at any time? In the end, can we take these material things with us when we die? No, we cannot. We will leave them all behind. The relentless pursuit of worldly possessions is like chasing the wind—it is ultimately meaningless and without lasting purpose.
Instead of focusing on accumulating more and more, why not learn to share generously with those who are in need? When we learn to give, we are actually storing up an inexhaustible treasure in heaven.
What happens when we embrace this journey of traveling light through life? We become continually prepared for the coming of the Master, who is Jesus. We remain ready for His judgment, which may come at any time. In one sense, that moment of judgment comes when our earthly life ends.
When we stand face-to-face with our Lord, He may ask us a simple but profound question: “Were you a faithful servant who was always prepared?”— Marino J. Dasmarinas
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