August 30, 2018
I know it has been a few days since I posted and I don’t really have or need an excuse, I guess, other than needing some time to reset and let the reservoir refill a bit. I find that when my creativity is being expressed in a variety of ways, such as music, speaking, photography, etc., that sometimes my writing is simply interrupted. Last week was filled with many different creative outlets and so my writing was interrupted. I missed the opportunity to write about the “Woes” of Jesus and my only thought today about that is, “Woe is me.” I’d love to think that Jesus was “woe-ing” all the deficient religious leaders that seem to constantly disappoint us and prove the necessity of these “woes”, but if I’m being honest, the “woes” are as much for me as anyone. It really gives me the opportunity to inventory my own hypocrisy and begin living a new life in the Spirit starting right now. The beauty of Jesus and our Good Good Father is that we are welcome to start anew each and every moment and they let us turn our “woes” into “wows”. So, “wow is me” at the mercy and forgiveness of the Lord!
Today’s gospel is one that also reminds us that we better be ready. “Stay awake!” I drank a double dose of coffee yesterday around 3:00pm and so this “stay awake” business rings a bit literal for me today. I was up later than I wanted to be and I was able to identify with what defines being awake. Our eyes must be open. God is constantly giving us “eye-opening” experiences to poke our souls awake. These experiences come in all shapes and sizes from the sudden death of a loved one to an awe-inspiring sunrise. God does not want us to be unprepared for our eternal encounter and so He is constantly hinting as to where we can find Him. There is a woman that lives in the Senior Assisted Living place where I work and her peripheral vision is nonexistent, so I literally scare the crap out of her every time I come to her table to pour her coffee or take her order! Now, however, as I approach her table, I make sure that I come toward her head-on so that she sees me coming and is not surprised, because let’s face it, the sentence, “scare the crap out of her” might be a figure of speech everywhere else, but at my work, it is quite possibly a guarantee, just sayin’! God wants us with Him forever, and so we need to keep the eyes of our heart open and ready to see Him as He comes at us head-on. So what are the kinds of things that can serve as caffeine for our sleepy/lazy souls? How can we revitalize our heart’s eyesight? Spend some time pondering these things today.
The second part of today’s gospel has to do with integrity. We need to do the right thing always, even when the boss is not around. It seems that since Adam and Eve, we have had a natural tendency to relax the rules when authority is out of sight. Jesus tells us today that we need to act above that tendency and be obedient constantly. Obedience is a choice and we need to practice and exercise it in order to perfect it. What I tend to forget is that much freedom accompanies obedience. I kind of have it backwards and think breaking the rules equals freedom. Breaking the rules requires me to decide and that often ties me down to those attachments that become the dictators in my life. Obedience to God’s better portion and plan for me, gives me the freedom from having to navigate through obstacles that I unnecessarily pile up in the way. I never want to be “caught” doing what I’m not supposed to be doing again. I only want to be found and convicted of being the “prudent servant” at all times.
Today’s gospel and the gospels from this past week give me a much needed wake up call to get right, open my eyes, and be ready. The good news is that God is way more patient than I am and simply waits for me to find His gaze that is always always always upon me and it is well with my soul.
Reading 1 1 COR 1:1-9
Paul, called to be an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
and Sosthenes our brother,
to the Church of God that is in Corinth,
to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy,
with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I give thanks to my God always on your account
for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus,
that in him you were enriched in every way,
with all discourse and all knowledge,
as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you,
so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift
as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He will keep you firm to the end,
irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God is faithful,
and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
and Sosthenes our brother,
to the Church of God that is in Corinth,
to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy,
with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I give thanks to my God always on your account
for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus,
that in him you were enriched in every way,
with all discourse and all knowledge,
as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you,
so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift
as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He will keep you firm to the end,
irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God is faithful,
and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Responsorial Psalm PS 145:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
R. (1) I will praise your name for ever, Lord.Every day will I bless you,
and I will praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.
R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
Generation after generation praises your works
and proclaims your might.
They speak of the splendor of your glorious majesty
and tell of your wondrous works.
R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
They discourse of the power of your terrible deeds
and declare your greatness.
They publish the fame of your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your justice.
R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
and I will praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.
R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
Generation after generation praises your works
and proclaims your might.
They speak of the splendor of your glorious majesty
and tell of your wondrous works.
R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
They discourse of the power of your terrible deeds
and declare your greatness.
They publish the fame of your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your justice.
R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
Alleluia MT 24:42A, 44
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Stay awake!
For you do not know when the Son of Man will come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Stay awake!
For you do not know when the Son of Man will come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel MT 24:42-51
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this:
if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.
"Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant,
whom the master has put in charge of his household
to distribute to them their food at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so.
Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property.
But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is long delayed,'
and begins to beat his fellow servants,
and eat and drink with drunkards,
the servant's master will come on an unexpected day
and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely
and assign him a place with the hypocrites,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth."
"Stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this:
if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.
"Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant,
whom the master has put in charge of his household
to distribute to them their food at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so.
Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property.
But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is long delayed,'
and begins to beat his fellow servants,
and eat and drink with drunkards,
the servant's master will come on an unexpected day
and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely
and assign him a place with the hypocrites,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth."
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