Lk 12:32-48
[Jesus said to his disciples,] 32“Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom. 33Sell 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. 34For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.
35“Gird your loins and light your lamps 36and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. 37Blessed 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. 38And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants. 39Be 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. 40You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
41Then Peter said, “Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?” 42And 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? 43Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so. 44Truly, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. 45But 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, 46then that 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 unfaithful. 47That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; 48and 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.”
Faith: Realization of things hoped for... of things not seen: The letter to the hebrews (Second Reading) describes faith as “the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” Though not attempting a precise technical or theological definition, the author paints an inspiring portrait of religious faith, drawing upon the people and events of the Old Testament, and gives what the New American Bible considers “the most extensive description of faith provided in the New Testament.”
Faith enables Abraham to leave his ancestral home and journey to a land he knows nothing of, pitch tent in a foreign place, believe that in spite of their old age he and wife Sarah will have “descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sands on the seashore” (Heb 11:12), and then later offer their only son Isaac in sacrifice upon God’s instructions—all because Abraham trusts in God and steadfastly believes in God’s promise. Through faith God guarantees the blessings to be hoped for from him, providing evidence in the gift of faith that what God promises will eventually come to pass.
In the Gospel, Jesus tells the disciples to seek security not in the realities of this world but in the treasures of God’s kingdom. He exhorts them to be steadfast in their faith, staying ready and prepared even when the fulfillment of that faith is long in coming. Jesus then gives an illustration in servants who are entrusted with the management of the household. No one knows just when the master will return. A wise servant, therefore, will always be vigilant, since the master may return any moment and will expect to find everything in order.
The Gospel illustrates for us the importance of being ready and prepared for the many ways our God visits us in our lives. We are often beset with hardship and failure, pain and anguish, tragedy and disappointment; our dreams, hopes, and plans are frequently thwarted. How do we prepare for such unexpected circumstances? What are we to do in dark moments when God seems to be far away, and we grope for some evidence of God’s presence?
Abraham’s example tells us to continue hoping in God’s love even though we cannot feel it and to keep on waiting in patient trust. Life on earth is a journey in faith and a pilgrimage of hope. For this journey we are given enough light to take the next step. As John Henry Cardinal Newman prayed, “Lead, kindly Light… Lead thou me on! Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see the distant scene—one step enough for me.”
Abraham believed because he “thought that the one who had made the promise was trustworthy” (Heb 11:11). Because of God’s fidelity, we trust that the will of God will never lead us where the grace of God cannot keep us.