The faithful servant is expected then to take some radical steps: Abraham was asked to sacrifice Isaac, and Jesus asks his disciples to sell their property and to give alms. Both calls show the faithful servant in action as a person who is aware that God is Lord over life and death and that this life extends beyond the grave. It questions our priorities and it questions the motivation for our religious actions.

The Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Wisdom 18:6-9

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

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

L uke 12:32-48  "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (33) Sell your possessions, and give alms; provide yourselves with purses that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. (34) For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (35) "Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning, (36) and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the marriage feast, so that they may open to him at once when he comes and knocks. (37) Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes; truly, I say to you, he will gird himself and have them sit at (the) table, and he will come and serve them. (38) If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those servants! (39) But know this, that if the householder had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. (40) You also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an unexpected hour." (41) Peter said, "Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?" (42) And the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? (43) Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing. (44) Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. (45) But if that servant says to himself, `My master is delayed in coming,' and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and  drink and get drunk, (46) the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will punish him, and put him with the unfaithful. (47) And that servant who knew his master's will, but did not make ready or act according to his will, shall receive a severe beating. (48) But he who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, shall receive a light beating. Every one to whom much is given, of him will much be required; and of him to whom men commit much they will demand the more.

Meditation by Benedict Jonak, O.P.

I don't know anybody who thinks that the end of world is a good thing; actually I know very few people who want the end of the world to happen. Yet this certainly is a desirable event, when at the end of time Christ will come in glory.

The end of the world is Good News. In today's Gospel Jesus gives us the promise of the end of the world specifically as a consolation and not as a cause for anxiety: 'Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.'

We were given the promise that when the master comes he will reward his faithful servants. Of course there have been many people who claim that they do their master's will. Pointing to God as the one who is the source of our actions can become a way of avoiding taking responsibility for our behaviour.

This is, however, not what being a faithful servant means. The Epistle to the Hebrews gives us examples of the 'men of old' who were such faithful servants. Unsurprisingly the story of Abraham whom we call 'our father in faith' has a prominent place. Abraham left his homeland, and came into a foreign land. This was because of the trust he had in God. He had a son in old age, even Sarah his wife was barren, because he believed that God who made the promise to his was trustworthy.

Being a good and faithful servant, then, requires us to have a relationship with God based on trust that his words are life-giving, that they are true. It means to be open to his life-giving word. This is not an empty phrase. Being open to God is essentially about being a good host, waiting for him to arrive and listen to what he says. This openness and trust is one of the most fundamental elements of the Christian life. We need to realize daily that we are waiting for God. We need to express daily our willingness to do his will, whenever it takes us.

Abraham, faithfully listening to the word of God, was ready even to sacrifice his son Isaac. It is shocking, even disgusting, to think that somebody was willing to sacrifice his own son to God. Is this not an expression of a fanatical belief? This is a question that needs to be answered here, however briefly.

First, fanaticism is a caricature, a perversion of faith. It may be perhaps described as a magical approach to faith whereby we want to gain certain benefits by performing some (ritual) actions. Fanaticism has little place for a living relationship with God, who never asks the impossible of us. This cannot be said about Abraham.

Second, Abraham 'hoped against hope' that his son will be restored to him, even as he was willing to sacrifice him. Essentially Abraham's readiness to sacrifice his son is an act of trust, of faith, in which he was proved right.

The faithful servant is expected then to take some radical steps: Abraham was asked to sacrifice Isaac, and Jesus asks his disciples to sell their property and to give alms. Both calls show the faithful servant in action as a person who is aware that God is Lord over life and death and that this life extends beyond the grave.

Today's Gospel is of course challenging for us. It questions our priorities and it questions the motivation for our religious actions. Let it be an inspiration for us. Let it renew our dedication to do God's will and be constant in prayer as we await Christ's second coming at the end of time.

Supplementary Reading

The Fruit of Our Words

I create the fruit of the lips…-- Isaiah 57:19

Do you know that your words are like seeds? They have creative power. In the future, we will eat the fruit of our words. That means our words are going to produce exactly what we're saying.

That's why it's so important to make positive declarations over our lives every single day. We should say things like "I am blessed. I am prosperous. I am healthy. I am talented. I am creative. I am wise." When we do this, we are standing in agreement with God's Word. We are sowing good seed. We are preparing our future for when we arrive.

Today, make sure you are sowing good seed with your words. Speak God's Word which is truth that will set you free. Let His Word fill your heart and mind and direct your mouth with what to say. Set yourself up for success in your future and pave the way for victory with your words today!

Father God, thank You for Your Word which is truth that sets me free. Help me to guard my words and sow good seed into my future. I choose to hide Your Word in my heart. Keep me close to You and direct my steps. In Jesus' Name. Amen.—Joel & Victoria Osteen

GOD BLESS US ALL!

O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.

For past gospel meditations, you may visit the following:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=216458741502#!/home.php?sk=mynotes

http://his-ways-better-than-our-ways.blogspot.com