From: Luke 12:32-48

Trust in God’s Fatherly Providence (Continuation)

(Jesus said to His disciples,) [32] “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.

The Need for Vigilance and the Parable of the Steward (Continuation)

(Jesus said to His disciples,) [35] “Let your loins be girded and your lamps burn-
ing, [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 table, and he
will come and serve them. [39] If he comes in the second watch, or in the third,
and finds them so, blessed are those servants!” [40] You also must be ready;
for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

[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 tell 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 men-
servants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, [46] the mas-
ter 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 ac-
cording 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. Everyone to whom
much is given, of him much will be required; and of him to whom men commit
much they will demand the more.”

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Commentary:

33-34. Our Lord concludes this address by insisting on those imperishable goods
to which we should aspire. In this connection the Second Vatican Council con-
cludes its teaching on the universal call to holiness saying: “Therefore all the faith-
ful are invited and obliged to holiness and perfection of their own state of life. Ac-
cordingly let all of them see that they direct their affections rightly, lest they be
hindered in their pursuit of perfect love by the use of worldly things and by an ad-
herence to riches which is contrary to the spirit of evangelical poverty, following
the Apostle’s advice: Let those who use this world not fix their abode in it, for
the form of this world is passing away (cf. 1 Corinthians 7:31)” (”Lumen Gentium”,
42).

“When Holy Scripture refers to the heart, it does not refer to some fleeting senti-
ment of joy or tears. By heart it means the person who directs his whole being,
soul and body, to what he considers his good, as Jesus himself indicated: ‘For
where your treasure is, there will your heart be also’ (Matthew 6:21)” (St. J. Es-
criva, “Christ Is Passing By”, 164). Our Lord’s teaching is quite clear: man’s
heart yearns to possess wealth, a good social position, prestigious public or pro-
fessional appointments, which he sees as providing him with security, content-
ment and self-affirmation; however, this kind of treasure involves endless worry
and disappointment, because there is always a danger of losing it. Jesus does
not mean that man should forget about earthly things, but he does teach us that
no created thing should become our “treasure”, our main in life: that should be
God, our Creator and Lord, whom we should love and serve as we go about our
ordinary affairs, putting our hopes on the eternal joy of heaven. See also the note
on Matthew 6:19-21.

[The note on Matthew 6:19-21 states:

19-21. The idea here is very clear: man’s heart yearns for a treasure which will
give him security and happiness. However, every treasure in the form of earthly
goods—wealth, property—becomes a constant source of worry, because there is
always the risk we will lose it or because the effort to protect it is such a strain.

Against this, Jesus teaches us here that our true treasure lies in good works and
an upright life, which will be eternally rewarded by God in Heaven. That indeed is
a treasure which one never loses, a treasure on which Christ’s disciple should put
his heart.

Jesus closes the teaching contained in the preceding verses with a kind of refrain
(verse 21). He is not saying that people should be unconcerned about earthly
things; what He does say is that no created thing can be “the treasure”, the ult-
imate aim, of man. What man should do is make his way to God, sanctify him-
self and give all glory to God, by making right use of the noble things of the earth:
“Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Co-
rinthians 10:31; cf. Colossians 3:17).]

35-39. In the preaching of Christ and of the Apostles we are frequently exhorted
to be watchful (cf. Matthew 24:42; 25:13; Mark 14:34) — for one thing, because
the enemy is always on the prowl (cf. 1 Peter 5:8), and also because a person in
love is always awake (cf. Song of Songs 5:2). This watchfulness expresses itself
in a spirit of prayer (cf. Luke 21:36; 1 Peter 4:7) and fortitude in faith (cf. 1 Corin-
thians 16:13). See the note on Matthew 25:1-13.

[The note on Matthew 25:1-13 states:

1-13. The main lesson of this parable has to do with the need to be on the alert:
in practice, this means having the light of faith, which is kept alive with the oil of
charity. Jewish weddings were held in the house of the bride’s father. The virgins
are young unmarried girls, bridesmaids who are in the bride’s house waiting for
the bridegroom to arrive. The parable centers on the attitude one should adopt
up to the time when the bridegroom comes. In other words, it is not enough to
know that one is “inside” the Kingdom, the Church: one has to be on the watch
and be preparing for Christ’s coming by doing good works.

This vigilance should be continuous and unflagging, because the devil is forever
after us, prowling around “like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pe-
ter 5:8). “Watch with the heart, watch with faith, watch with love, watch with cha-
rity, watch with good works [...]; make ready the lamps, make sure they do not
go out [...], renew them with the inner oil of an upright conscience; then shall the
Bridegroom enfold you in the embrace of His love and bring you into His banquet
room, where your lamp can never be extinguished” (St. Augustine, “Sermon”,
93).]

35. To enable them to do certain kinds of work the Jews used to hitch up the flo-
wing garments they normally wore. “Girding your loins” immediately suggests a
person getting ready for work, for effort, for a journey etc. (cf. Jeremiah 1:17;
Ephesians 6:14; 1 Peter 1:13). Similarly, “having your lamps burning” indicates
the sort of attitude a person should have who is on the watch or is waiting for
someone’s arrival.

40. God has chosen to hide from us the time of our death and the time when the
world will come to an end. Immediately after death everyone undergoes the Parti-
cular Judgment: “just as it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes
judgment...” (Hebrews 9:27). The end of the world is when the General Judgment
will take place.

41-48. After our Lord’s exhortation to vigilance, St. Peter asks a question (verse
41), the answer to which is the key to understanding this parable. On the one
hand, Jesus emphasizes that we simply do not know exactly when God is going
to ask us to render an account of our life; on the other — answering Peter’s ques-
tion — our Lord explains that His teaching is addressed to every individual. God
will ask everyone to render an account of his doings: everyone has a mission to
fulfill in this life and he has to account for it before the judgment seat of God and
be judged on what he has produced, be it much or little.

“Since we know neither the day nor the hour, we should follow the advice of the
Lord and watch constantly so that, when the single course of our earthly life is
completed (cf. Hebrews 9:27), we may merit to enter with Him into the marriage
feast and be numbered among the blessed (cf. Matthew 25:31-46) and not, like
the wicked and slothful servants (cf. Matthew 25:26), be ordered to depart into
the eternal fire (cf. Matthew 25:41)” (Vatican II, “Lumen Gentium”, 48).

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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Mass Readings

First reading	Wisdom 18:6-9 ©

That night had been foretold to our ancestors,

so that, once they saw what kind of oaths they had put their trust in, they would joyfully take courage.

This was the expectation of your people,

the saving of the virtuous and the ruin of their enemies;

for by the same act with which you took vengeance on our foes

you made us glorious by calling us to you.

The devout children of worthy men offered sacrifice in secret

and this divine pact they struck with one accord:

that the saints would share the same blessings and dangers alike;

and forthwith they had begun to chant the hymns of the fathers.

Psalm	Psalm 32:1,12,18-20,22

Second reading	Hebrews 11:1-2,8-19 ©

Only faith can guarantee the blessings that we hope for, or prove the existence of the realities that at present remain unseen. It was for faith that our ancestors were commended.

It was by faith that Abraham obeyed the call to set out for a country that was the inheritance given to him and his descendants, and that he set out without knowing where he was going. By faith he arrived, as a foreigner, in the Promised Land, and lived there as if in a strange country, with Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. They lived there in tents while he looked forward to a city founded, designed and built by God.

It was equally by faith that Sarah, in spite of being past the age, was made able to conceive, because she believed that he who had made the promise would be faithful to it. Because of this, there came from one man, and one who was already as good as dead himself, more descendants than could be counted, as many as the stars of heaven or the grains of sand on the seashore.

All these died in faith, before receiving any of the things that had been promised, but they saw them in the far distance and welcomed them, recognising that they were only strangers and nomads on earth. People who use such terms about themselves make it quite plain that they are in search of their real homeland. They can hardly have meant the country they came from, since they had the opportunity to go back to it; but in fact they were longing for a better homeland, their heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, since he has founded the city for them.

It was by faith that Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac. He offered to sacrifice his only son even though the promises had been made to him and he had been told: It is through Isaac that your name will be carried on. He was confident that God had the power even to raise the dead; and so, figuratively speaking, he was given back Isaac from the dead.

Alternative second reading	Hebrews 11:1-2,8-12 ©

Only faith can guarantee the blessings that we hope for, or prove the existence of the realities that at present remain unseen. It was for faith that our ancestors were commended.

Gospel	Luke 12:32-48 ©

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘There is no need to be afraid, little flock, for it has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom.

‘Sell your possessions and give alms. 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. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

‘See that you are dressed for action and have your lamps lit. Be like men waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast, ready to open the door as soon as he comes and knocks. Happy those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. I tell you solemnly, he will put on an apron, sit them down at table and wait on them. It may be in the second watch he comes, or in the third, but happy those servants if he finds them ready. You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what hour the burglar would come, he would not have let anyone break through the wall of his house. You too must stand ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.’

Peter said, ‘Lord, do you mean this parable for us, or for everyone?’ The Lord replied, ‘What sort of steward, then, is faithful and wise enough for the master to place him over his household to give them their allowance of food at the proper time? Happy that servant if his master’s arrival finds him at this employment. I tell you truly, he will place him over everything he owns. But as for the servant who says to himself, “My master is taking his time coming,” and sets about beating the menservants and the maids, and eating and drinking and getting drunk, 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.

The servant who knows what his master wants, but has not even started to carry out those wishes, will receive very many strokes of the lash. The one who did not know, but deserves to be beaten for what he has done, will receive fewer strokes. When a man has had a great deal given him, a great deal will be demanded of him; when a man has had a great deal given him on trust, even more will be expected of him.’

Alternative gospel	Luke 12:35-40 ©

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘See that you are dressed for action and have your lamps lit. Be like men waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast, ready to open the door as soon as he comes and knocks. Happy those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. I tell you solemnly, he will put on an apron, sit them down at table and wait on them. It may be in the second watch he comes, or in the third, but happy those servants if he finds them ready. You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what hour the burglar would come, he would not have let anyone break through the wall of his house. You too must stand ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.’