19th Sunday in Ordinary Time C
Wisdom 18:6-9, Psalm 32:1.12.18-20.22 Rv.12, Hebrews 11: 1-2, 8-19
You made us glorious by calling us to you.
Our soul is waiting for the Lord. The Lord is our help and our shield.
Only faith can prove the existence of the realities that at present remain unseen.
Do not be afraid. It has pleased your Father to give you a kingdom
Luke 12:32-48
32 'There is no need to be afraid, little flock, for it has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom. 33 'Sell your possessions and give to those in need. Get yourselves purses that do not wear out, treasure that will not fail you, in heaven where no thief can reach it and no moth destroy it. 34 For wherever your treasure is, that is where your heart will be too. 35 'See that you have your belts done up and your lamps lit. 36 Be like people waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast,
as soon as he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. In truth I tell you, he will do up his belt, sit them down at table and wait on them. 38 It may be in the second watch that he comes, or in the third, but blessed are those servants if he finds them ready. 39 You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what time the burglar would come, he would not have let anyone break through the wall of his house. 40 You too must stand ready, because the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.' 41 Peter said, 'Lord, do you mean this parable for us, or for everyone?' 42 The Lord replied, 'Who, then, is the wise and trustworthy steward whom the master will place over his household to give them at the proper time their allowance of food? 43 Blessed that servant if his master's arrival finds him doing exactly that. 44 I tell you truly, he will put him in charge of everything that he owns. 45 But if the servant says to himself, "My master is taking his time coming," and sets about beating the menservants and the servant-girls, and eating and drinking and getting drunk, 46 his master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. The master will cut him off and send him to the same fate as the unfaithful. 47 'The servant who knows what his master wants, but has got nothing ready and done nothing in accord with those wishes, will be given a great many strokes of the lash. 48 The one who did not know, but has acted in such a way that he deserves a beating, will be given fewer strokes. When someone is given a great deal, a great deal will be demanded of that person; when someone is entrusted with a great deal, of that person even more will be expected.
Where are your riches?
Faith makes us certain of things we cannot see and guarantees what we hope for. As there are degrees in eye-sight, so there are degrees in faith. Some people have sharp eyes and others dim. So it is with faith. For the person with living faith the Bible opens up a new world – a world of joy and the hope of life with God. So Jesus tells us today, “Do not be afraid, you may be hard pressed, but your Father is pleased to give you a kingdom”. Now if you can believe this then you can literally throw away your wealth like Francis of Assisi. You can pour out your life in service to others like Mother Teresa of Calcutta
When you are a millionaire to give away a few thousand rupees is no big deal. You don’t notice it. Likewise when faith shows you the value of Jesus, then you can dispose of everything you do not need. The greatest wealth we can have is to be a friend of Jesus. We wait for Him who is already here! He is with us now and calls us His friends (John15:15). But one day He will come unexpectedly and knock at our door (Rev 3:20). For His friends it will be the moment for which they have been longing. He will come in and like a lover, ‘he will put on his apron, sit them down at table and wait on them’
But if our faith is dim as with poor eyesight, we won’t see things clearly. We will be deceived by the pleasures and desires of this world – whether they are drink, lust or wealth. We may even live as if there is no other world but this one. But there is another world. One day Jesus will come to each of us. Those of us who settled for the things of this world will have to pay for their mistake, for this life is given to us on trust. It is not our absolute possession.
Where are you in all this? Well, look where your treasure is! The fact is that where your treasure is, that is where your heart is. If you have more wealth than you need, you love this world despite everything you say! Though poor if you long for the wealth of this world, your heart is here. You can measure your love for Jesus by ‘the size of your bank account’ – they are in inverse proportions. If your wealth is Jesus then you will radically follow Him and dispose of all you do not need and all your desires as well. Have you the faith to do it?
Father, give me the grace to taste the sweetness of the friendship of Jesus so that I can dispose of unnecessary wealth and give my heart to you alone.
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