Gospel: Lk 12:32-48
Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be. “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them. And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.
You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect,the Son of Man will come.” Then Peter said, “Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?” And the Lord replied, “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute the food allowance at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so. Truly, I say to you, the master will put the servant in charge of all his property. But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk, then that servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish the servant severely and assign him a place with the unfaithful. That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”
Read this three times.
1) What word or phrase jumped out at you?
2) What is the meaning / message of this reading?
3) What does this reading challenge you to do today?
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4 comments:
I find this Gospel reading so intriguing becuase I feel that you could read numerous times and find a new or different message each time. The last line of the gospel of course jumps right out at me and is probably the thought that I am left with, however upon reading it a second time, the phrase that jumped out at me was about the master knowing the hour the thief was coming would not let his house be broken into. It is so very simple and makes perfect sense. If we all knew when God was coming we would all be ready for that time. Just like a theif, none of us know if/when our apt or house could get broken into, but we do things every day to keep our humble abodes safe...so why wouldn't we do the same with our soul. This to me is one of the clearest messages. We should be ready every day, this challenges us to live according to God's plan and His Word every day.
1) Beaten only lightly (it's not a phrase you hear often in scripture)
2) Constant vigilance is important for the Christian faith. Often times, we find ourselves treating our faith like a sprint, when it's really a marathon.
3) This reading challenges me to have faith, even when there seems to be no need of it. For example, praying before meals may seem trivial, but it reminds me that I am always in the presence of God.
1) For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.
2) I think the passage, besides being most focused on spiritual vigilance over worldly concerns, also hints at degrees of obedience and punishment when speaking about the servant ignorant of the master's wishes being beaten only lightly vice the servant who knew better. Very interesting concept here.
3) I am challenged to spiritual vigilance here, I think, especially from complacency. Having abandoned more flagrant worldliness of my youth, I sometimes congratulate myself prematurely, when I should seek more from the Word to refine my rough edges. That is to say, I may not deserve a severe beating at this time, but I cannot say I shouldn't receive a light beating now and again.
DUDE this is totaly awsome!!!
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