Tags
20th Century Fox, 30 Day Shred 300 4th of July 7 Deadly Sins 8 9/11 A Catholic Mom's Guide to Books A Charlie Brown Christmas A Closer Look A Prayer Journal A Prophet for Our Time A Secular Age A Tale of Two Emperors A, ABC News, Abu Dhabi, Acropolis, Acting, Altar Boys, America, Angelina Jolie, Angels, Animation, Apollo, Apologetics, Apple, Aramaic, Archangels, Archbishop Fulton Sheen, Army, Artists, Australia, Bad Catholic, BBC, Bed, Behind Enemy Line, Ben Hur, Bernadette, Bernelli, Bishop, Bloggers, Bollywood, Bombay, Brad Pitt, Brazil, Brother, Canada, Cardinal, Castle, Catechism, Catholic, Catholic Apologetics, Catholic Gentleman, Catholicism, Catholicity, Charismatic, Charity, Chastity, Children, China, Christ, Christian, Christos, Cloud, CNN, Coat of Arms, Colorado Auschwitz Australia authenticity authority automaton Autonomy Avengers Babel Babette's Feast Babies baby baby names Babylon Back on My Feet Bad Religion BadCatholic Baghdad Bangerz baptism Ba, Comic book, Contraception, Conversion, Creation, Cricket, Dad, Day, Dell, Devil, Devotional songs, Dictionary, Discovery Channel, Disney, Dubai, Elizabeth Yore Elleyn vonHuben Ellyn von Huben Ellyn vonHuben Elmhurst College embodied Christianity Emmanuel Mounier employment encounter Encountering God engagement England English Martyrs entrepren, Empire, Enemies, Facebook, Fairy, Family, Fantasy, Father Damian Ference Father George Coyne Father Guarnizo Father Luke Willenberg Father Michael Cummins Father Paul Murray Father Robert Barron Father Steve Father Steve Grunow Father Steve Grunow, Father Tom Rosica fatherhood fear feast feast days Feast of All Souls Feast of the Holy Cross Feast of the Holy Innocents Feast of the Immaculate Conception Feast of the Ugandan Martyrs festivals FFA , Favorite, Firefox, Fly, Football, Fox News, Fr. Robert Barron, Friend, Friends, Friendship, Fun, G. K. Chesterton, Galilean Aramaic, Gandhi, Goa, God, Google, Greece, Greek, Gregorian Chants, Guardian Angels, Happiness, heaven Heaven in Stone and Glass Hebrews hell help Hemsworth Herbert McCabe Hercules Heresy hero Herod Herod the Great heroic virtue heroism Hesiod HHS Contraception Mandate HHS Mandate High school Hi, Hobbies, Holy Gospels, Holy Land, Holy Mass, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit Interactive, Hope, Hospital, HSI, Hyderabad, Ignatius Press, India, Iron, Italy, Jerusalem, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus Youth, Jewish, Joy, Jupiter, Kashmir, King priesthood priests Prince of Persia prison prison ministry pro-choice prodigal son Project ProLife Pro-Life Prolonged Adolescence Prometheus prophet isaiah prophets Proposition Proposition 8 pros, Kingdom, Latin America, Latin Mass, Latin Rite, Laugh, Lebannon, Legends, Literature. Writers, Lourdes, Love, Love Liverpool Liz Yore lobster logoi spermatakoi London Lord of the Rings Lord of the World Lord's Prayer Los Los Angeles Lost Lough Derg Louis Bouyer Louisiana Lourdes Love Love in the Ruins Lumen F, Malaysia, Maleficent, Mark, Marriage, Martin Luther, Martin Luther King Jr, Master, Matrimony, Mexico, Michael Angelo, Mighty, Missal, Mom, Mother Teresa, Motion picture, Movies, Music, NASA, National Geographic, NATO, Night, Notre Dame, O Come Emmanuel Obama Obamacare obsession Odyssey of Of Gods and Men Oh Magnum Mysterium old atheism Old Ideas Old Testament Olympic Games Olympics on Once in Royal David's City online community onlin, Old, Oprah, Our Father, Painting, Pakistan, Paramount Pictures, Paris, Parliament, Passion, Patience, Patriach Barthalonew, Peace, Penguins, Pentagon, Picasso, Pilgrimage, Pio of Pietrelcina St. St. Alphonsus Liguori St. Ambrose St. Anselm St. Anthony St. Anthony of Padua St. Athanasius St. Augustine St. Barnabas St. Bede St. Bernadette St. Bernard of Clairvaux St. Bern, Police, Pope, Pope Francis, Pope john Paul II, Power, Pregnancy, Pregnant, President of America, Priests, Pro life, Prophet, Protestant, Protestantism, Purity, Queen of England, Rabbi, Radio Vaticana, Roger Federer, Romance, Rome, Sacraments, Saints, Satan, School, Secretariat Secular Narrative Secular Reason secularism Seeing the Everyday Seeker self-improvement seminarians seminariians seminary Senior Connections September 11 Series sermon service Seth Godin S, Seven Lively Virtues Seventeen Magazine Project Sex & the City sex abuse scandal sexuality shadows and light Shakespeare Shaw Air Force Base Shawshank Redemption sheep and Goats Sheila Liaugminas , Singapore, Sister, Sitcom, Sky, Slave, Slavery, Sleep, Sleeping Beauty, Soap Opera, Soccer, Social Media, Sony Music, Spices, St, St. Ambrose, St. Augustine, St. John, St. Leo, St. Paul, St. Teresa, St.Peter, Star Movies, Summer camp, Superheroes, Swimming, Tennis, Thailand, The Lord's Prayer. Our Father Aramaic, The Ten Commandments, Thomas Aquinas, Traditional Rite, UAE, UK, UN, UNICEF, Universe, University, USA, USA Archdiocese for the Military, USA architecture Argument from Desire Aristotle ark of the covenant armed services Army of Hosts art Art Institute of Chicago artist Artur Rosman As Kingfishers catch fire Ascension asceticism Ash Wed, Vatican, Vatican City, Vatican Radio, Wings, Word of God, Word on Fire, Word on Fire Ministries, Word Press, World, World Communications Day World Cup World Day of Communications World Missions Sunday World War II World War Z World Youth Day worship wrath of the titans Wrecking Ball writing WTTW XVI Year of Faith Y, Youth, Youtube
Reflection on Gospel of Luke 12:39-48
My brothers and sisters, in order to better understand today’s Holy Gospel; let us explore the context of both, the Hebrews of the time in which Jesus was speaking, and, the wisdom of the Gospel for today and forever. The Hebrew term for slave, eved, is a direct derivation from the Hebrew verb, la’avÖd (“to work”), thus, the slave in Jewish law really only a worker or a servant. The eved differs from the hired worker (sakhir) in three respects: he receives no wages for his work, he is a member of his master’s household; and, his master exercises patria potestas over him – for example, the master may choose a wife for the slave and retains ownership of her and he has proprietary rights in him.
Our Lord talks about the servant: the servant who is obedient to his master’s wishes and whom his master will find busy upon his arrival. He also does not mince words while talking about the one who knows the master’s wishes but does not carry them out and that he will be ranked among those undeserving of trust. He is very clearly speaking to each one of us. Many countries around the world have witnessed slavery. It has a very negative connotation to it and rightly so [considering] for example, the way it was carried out in America. But there is another kind of slavery that is a freely chosen slavery. That is, a slavery that we choose to make ourselves obedient to another.
In today’s Holy Gospel, our good Lord Jesus teaches us that, preparation is very important for so many things. A wise person would not begin to prepare a recipe without making sure that they have all the ingredients at hand. It’s not different when it comes to the spiritual life. Spiritually speaking we prepare ourselves to meet the master by daily prayer, by acts of sacrifice and charity, by reading sacred scripture. Most importantly we prepare ourselves by receiving the Sacraments of the Church, fortified with Sanctifying Grace. So we prepare by going to Confession and receiving the Lord in the Holy Communion as often as possible. Spiritually we need to be prepared to meet our master, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus talks about the master of the house possibly arriving at the “second or third watch of the night.” Being faithful isn’t a fling or a flash in the pan. We know that there will be “ups and downs,” moments of two steps forward and one back. Through it all we are called to persevere. Going the distance is not easy, but how beautiful it is! Pope Saint John Paul II gave us an indelible example of perseverance. What treasure does the Lord expect us to vigilantly guard in this present life? It is the treasure of the gifts he has won for us – the gift of salvation purchased by his blood on the cross which has ransomed us from slavery to sin, Satan,and death – and the gift of his Holy Spirit who works in and through us to make us a a new creation refashioned in the image of God. The Father and the Son through the gift of the Holy Spirit come to make their home with us. But we can ignore their presence, close our ears to their voice, or reject them through pride and unfaithfulness.
Satan comes like a thief in the night to rob us of our faith and to draw us away from God. He works with the world (that society which is opposed to God) and with our flesh (our sinful inclinations) to make us believe that we can find treasure and happiness apart from God and his will for our lives. The Lord Jesus calls us to be vigilant in watching for his return and to be ready to meet him when he calls us to himself. The Lord gives us his Holy Spirit so that we may have the wisdom, help, and strength we need to turn away from sin to embrace God’s way of love, justice, and holiness. The Lord’s warning of judgment causes dismay for those who are unprepared, but it brings joyful hope to those who eagerly wait for his return in glory. God’s judgment is good news for those who are ready to meet him. Their reward is God himself, the source of all truth, beauty, goodness, love and everlasting life.
Lord Jesus, you have captured my heart for you. Make it strong in faith, steadfast in hope, and generous in love that I may seek to please you in all things and bring you glory. Keep me ever watchful for the coming of your kingdom.
Word Ignite 