Reflections on Scripture Nineteenth Sunday Ordinary Gospel C
Jesus said to his disciples: "Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.
Why do you think the Father is pleased to give us the kingdom? What is involved in receivng
the Kingdom of God.?
"Do not be afraid" is a common message of God both in the Old and New Testaments.
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.
What does Jesus mean by this last statement? What is your heart really centered on? What is in
fact your heart’s desire? Is it God, or is it to survive in the present moment?
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."
Do you have an expectation of Jesus’ coming again? Do you really want him to come anytime
soon? What if he came tonight, are you ready? Will he find you prepared to receive him?
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.
What is the key point of Jesus’ teaching?
Do we know what Jesus expects of us? Are we doing it?
Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more."
How much has God given us? Does he have a right to expect much from us? What are we doing
with these gifts?
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