Breaking the Word

29^th Week in Ord. Time, Wednesday – 20^th October 2021 — Gospel: Lk 12,39-48

Great Expectations  

The idea of “to whom much is given, much will be required” is that we are held responsible for what we have and it emphasizes even great expectations. This statement of Jesus has become an idiom in Western culture and it is paraphrased by Uncle Ben for today’s world: “With great power comes great responsibility.” While these two phrases aren’t synonymous, they both speak of a common principle: We are responsible with only what we have been given. And the more you have been given, the greater the responsibility. If you are blessed with talents, wealth, knowledge, time, and the like, it is expected that you use them to glorify God and benefit others. It is easy to assume that only wealthy people have been “given much,” but, in truth, we have all been given much (1 Cor 4,7; Rom 12,3; Eph 4,7). We have been granted the abundant grace of God (Eph 1,3-10; 3,16-21; Rom 5,8-11; 8,14-17), the Word of God, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Jn 14,16-21; 16,13; Rom 12,6) meant for the mutual edification and growth of the church. Peter has said, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Pet 4,10).

Someone might misunderstand this principle by concluding that those with less have less responsibility. That is, they don’t have to be really responsible with the little that they have. Whether we have been entrusted with little or much, our commitment to faithful stewardship remains the same. The only thing that changes is not how responsible we should be, but rather, how much we are responsible for.  God isn’t concerned with how much or how little you have; he is concerned with what you are doing with what you have been given. In the end, those servants who faithfully steward the gifts entrusted to them will be rewarded upon the master’s return. Those who squander the time will be held responsible for their casual of their master’s resources.

29^th Week in Ord. Time, Tuesday – 19^th October 2021 — Gospel:    Lk 12,35-38

Our Job  

Jesus calls us to be active waiters. The key here is that we are to “open immediately” when Jesus comes and knocks on the door. This reveals the disposition that we are to have in our hearts and manifest in our action. We need to open and let Jesus in without any delay, as soon as ever he comes to the door; and at the first knock, open it to him at once. Therefore, the eager servant in waiting should be in a posture of readiness and in constant expectation. Spiritually, Jesus is knocking in our hearts. He is continually coming to us seeking to come in and recline so as to converse, strengthen, heal and help. Eschatologically, when Jesus Christ shall either come and knock at our doors by death, or shall come to judgment, and sound alarm of it, we should be ready to obey the summons with the greatest cheerfulness, and meet him with the utmost pleasure. The question to ponder honestly is whether or not we are doing our job of letting Jesus in immediately.  If we fail, we have nobody to blame but ourselves for not responding to the knock.