10/25/2023 (Wednesday) Today’s gospel reading: Luke 12:39-48
Jesus said to his disciples:
39 “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.
40 You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
41 Then Peter said, “Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?”
42 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?
43 Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so.
44 Truly, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property.
45 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,
46 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.
47 That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely;
48 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.”
10/25/2023 (Wednesday) Today’s gospel reflection / homily / sermon: Luke 12:39-48
In the gospel reading above, Jesus tells us directly to be prepared at all times because we do not know the time or the hour when He comes. Then he asks who the faithful and prudent steward is? (Luke 12:42).
A steward is someone to whom something is entrusted with. It means that something is not own by the steward. He will only take care of that something until such a time that the owner will get it back. In the gospel passage above, that something is a household and the steward is given the responsibility to manage it including the distribution of food to menservants and maidservants.
Each one of us is actually a steward whether we are aware or not. We have been given a “household” of time, talent, and treasure to manage. Some people have more and bigger “households” than others. These “households” may include actual menservants and maidservants (read: employees). Now Jesus is asking whether we are faithful and prudent stewards or not.
To be faithful means to remain loyal and steadfast in allegiance to the owner/master of the “household”. A faithful servant does not claim ownership of the “household” and he does not do anything against the will of the master. He is always obedient and firm in the observance of his duties and responsibilities. On the other hand, to be prudent means to be wise and judicious in caring what has been entrusted. It also means to take extra precaution in managing the property to make sure it is not lost or diminished in value but instead it will generate profit for the owner.
So the question is, are we the faithful and prudent steward of our time, talent, and treasure? How do we use them to advance the “household” of Jesus meaning His Kingdom? When He comes again, are we ready to give an accounting of the blessings that we have received from Him? The gospel reading above is telling us that the best preparation for His coming is to make use of our time, talent, and treasure to accomplish our duties and responsibilities in the best way we can.
Go here to read further gospel reflection.
