Wednesday October 19, 2022

Wednesday of 29th Week in Ordinary Time

FREE AND VIGILANT                               

Introduction

Paul, who may be the author of part of Ephesians, speaks of the grace given him of preaching the good news of Christ to gentiles, so that they could share in the mystery of Christ.

In the Gospel, Luke speaks of the vigilance of Christians and their leaders. They are responsible for the grace and the talents God has given them. And, says Jesus, the more has been given to us, the more is expected of us, the more we have to be responsible for those entrusted to us.

Opening Prayer

Our God and Father,
in the generosity of your creative imagination
you distribute among people
a variety of gifts and talents
of mind and heart and grace.
Convince us, Lord, that what we have received,
we have received for others,
that if we have been given more,
we are not greater or better,
only responsible for more.
Help us to use what we are and have
in the service of others.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.
            (Partially based on a text by Helder Camara)

Reading 1 EPH 3:2-12

Brothers and sisters:
You have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace
that was given to me for your benefit,
namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation,
as I have written briefly earlier.
When you read this
you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ,
which was not made known to human beings in other generations
as it has now been revealed
to his holy Apostles and prophets by the Spirit,
that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same Body,
and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.
Of this I became a minister by the gift of God’s grace
that was granted me in accord with the exercise of his power.
To me, the very least of all the holy ones, this grace was given,
to preach to the Gentiles the inscrutable riches of Christ,
and to bring to light for all what is the plan of the mystery
hidden from ages past in God who created all things,
so that the manifold wisdom of God
might now be made known through the Church
to the principalities and authorities in the heavens.
This was according to the eternal purpose
that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,
in whom we have boldness of speech
and confidence of access through faith in him.

Responsorial Psalm ISAIAH 12:2-3, 4BCD, 5-6

(see 3) You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.
God indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.
R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.
Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
among the nations make known his deeds,
proclaim how exalted is his name.
R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.
Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
for great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel!
R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

Alleluia MT 24:42A, 44

Alleluia, alleluia.
Stay awake!
For you do not know when the Son of Man will come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel LK 12:39-48

Jesus said to his disciples: 
“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, he will put him
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.”        

Intercessions

–          That the Church may bring the light of faith where there is darkness and indifference, hope where there is fatalism and despair, and love where there is hatred and strife, we pray:

–          That those who are discouraged by trials and by their troubles and fears may keep believing and hoping in a God who brings everything to a good end, we pray:

–          That all of us may grow in the certainty that our commitment to justice and love and our dedicated service in life are needed to help God’s promises come true, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
let these signs of bread and wine
express that we are willing
to serve you and people
in responsible freedom.
Let your Son share with us
his strength and loyalty,
to make us wise and faithful stewards
of the message of justice and love
entrusted to us by Jesus Christ,
your Son and our Lord for ever.

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
to let us know that you expect of us
more than we are capable of,
you have given us again
the word and body of your Son.
Help us to live according to the gospel
as people set free by Jesus
and responsible with him
for the progress in this world
of integrity and love.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.

Blessing

“From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required,” says Jesus. We have received much from God, our faith, our capacity to love, pardon of our sins. Let us thank the Lord and ask for the blessing of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Commentary

Greater Accountability

Catholic Church is one entity that has received and continues to receive much criticism and brickbats. Take the case of sexual abuse issue. Even when research shows that the prevalence of sexual abuse is the least among catholic clergy in comparison with other public and private enterprises, the world is the angriest towards the Church – and with good reason! For, as Jesus points out today, much will be required of the one who has received much. Given the great responsibility of spiritual and moral leadership the Church is entrusted with and the grace given for the same, there is a greater accountability expected of her and her ministers. As they say, Caesar’s wife must be above suspicion. The Church being the spouse of Christ must live up to Christ’s standard. This applies not only in the affective realm but in every area of intervention; and this applies not only to the clergy, but every Christian. For, each of us has received grace upon grace. 

Reflection taken from Bible Diary 2022;

written by Fr.Paulson Velyannoor, CMF

Coffee with God: Our Father wants us to behave