August 10, 2025
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 117
Reading 1
The night of the passover was known beforehand to our
fathers,
that, with sure knowledge of the oaths in which they put their faith,
they might have courage.
Your people awaited the salvation of the just
and the destruction of their foes.
For when you punished our adversaries,
in this you glorified us whom you had summoned.
For in secret the holy children of the good were offering sacrifice
and putting into effect with one accord the divine institution.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (12b) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to
be his own.
Exult, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield.
May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us
who have put our hope in you.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Reading 2
Brothers and sisters:
Faith is the realization of what is hoped for
and evidence of things not seen.
Because of it the ancients were well attested.
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place
that he was to receive as an inheritance;
he went out, not knowing where he was to go.
By faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country,
dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs of the same promise;
for he was looking forward to the city with foundations,
whose architect and maker is God.
By faith he received power to generate,
even though he was past the normal age
—and Sarah herself was sterile—
for he thought that the one who had made the promise was
trustworthy.
So it was that there came forth from one man,
himself as good as dead,
descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky
and as countless as the sands on the seashore.
All these died in faith.
They did not receive what had been promised
but saw it and greeted it from afar
and acknowledged themselves to be strangers and aliens on earth,
for those who speak thus show that they are seeking a homeland.
If they had been thinking of the land from which they had come,
they would have had opportunity to return.
But now they desire a better homeland, a heavenly one.
Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God,
for he has prepared a city for them.
By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac,
and he who had received the promises was ready to offer his only son,
of whom it was said,
“Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name.”
He reasoned that God was able to raise even from the dead,
and he received Isaac back as a symbol.
Or
Brothers and sisters:
Faith is the realization of what is hoped for
and evidence of things not seen.
Because of it the ancients were well attested.
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place
that he was to receive as an inheritance;
he went out, not knowing where he was to go.
By faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country,
dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs of the same promise;
for he was looking forward to the city with foundations,
whose architect and maker is God.
By faith he received power to generate,
even though he was past the normal age
—and Sarah herself was sterile—
for he thought that the one who had made the promise was
trustworthy.
So it was that there came forth from one man,
himself as good as dead,
descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky
and as countless as the sands on the seashore.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Stay awake and be ready!
For you do not know on what day your Lord will come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
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.”
Or
Jesus said to his disciples:
“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 the servants 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.”
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/081025.cfm
Commentary on Wisdom
18:6-9; Hebrews 11:1-2,8-19; Luke 12:32-48
Where your treasure is, there will be your heart be also.
We continue today with the theme of last Sunday’s Mass.
There we heard a parable Jesus told about a man who made a great deal of money
and was very happy with himself:
…I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid
up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry. (Luke 12:19)
But God said to him:
You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of
you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?
(Luke 12:20)
And, when that man died and went before his God, what had he
to offer? All that stuff in his barns? No, all that had to be left behind for
others. When my turn comes to face my God and he asks me what I have and I
respond: “Well, during my lifetime I managed to deposit quite sizeable sums of
money in the bank”, how do you think God will answer? Will he be particularly
impressed? He may ask further, “But what have you brought with you”?
Readiness is all
So today’s Gospel passage is a further reminder that we must not be like that
man in last week’s Gospel. It tells us, on the contrary, to be truly ready,
implying that the man, in spite of all his efforts to build up his financial
and material security, was in fact far from ready.
First of all, he pictured a long and bright future before
him. Secondly, he regarded the material wealth he had garnered for himself as
the sign and the reward of a “successful” life. He also believed that all he
possessed belonged exclusively to him. There are an awful lot of people who
seem to think the same way—are we among them?
Jesus tells us today to be ready, to be ready when the
Master comes. For all our care and precautions, there is absolutely no way we
can know when or how the Master will come to call us to himself. Jesus says
about the thief:
…he comes during the middle of the night or near dawn…
We have probably all experienced having had something stolen
from our house, our car, or even our person. In most cases, if we had known in
advance, we could easily have thwarted the thief. Sometimes the theft was
simply due to our not having taken the simplest of precautions but, after the
theft had taken place, it was too late.
More important than property
Jesus is warning us today about something much more important than the property
we own, namely, the quality of our lives. Apparently, some people give top
priority to the property they own. One can walk along roads in more affluent
areas of a city where many of the houses can hardly be seen. They are hidden
behind high walls topped with massive iron spikes. There are cameras monitoring
movements 24 hours a day. As far as is humanly possible, nothing will be stolen
from those houses. They are prepared for every eventuality—or are they?
Are they, are we, really ready to meet the Master when he
comes? It is no use telling God, “Lord, I have oodles in the bank. I have a
lovely house in one of the most trendy suburbs and there is a Ferrari for me and
a Mercedes for my wife. My son is a prosperous surgeon in the States and my
daughter a thriving lawyer in London…” Quite honestly, Jesus is not likely to
be terribly impressed or interested in such a litany. The really important
things have not yet been said.
Take a different example altogether. His name was John. He
was a devout Catholic in China. Like thousands of others, he had remained true
to his faith during the dark days of persecution in China and spent long years
in prison purely and simply because of his belief in Jesus. Eventually he was
released. His body was stooped from the years of ill treatment he had
experienced. Then, one day while attending Mass at the shrine of St Francis
Xavier in nearby Macau, he collapsed and died just after receiving communion.
Anyone who knew John, a man of no wealth whatever, knew that he was ready. His
whole life had been lived in the company of Jesus. Jesus was all he had; Jesus
was all he wanted.
The friends of Jesus
Elsewhere in the Gospel Jesus makes this very plain. Those are his friends who
have gone out of their way to share themselves and what they have (and not just
their easily spared surplus) with the neediest of the needy—the hungry, the
thirsty, the sick, those in prison—quite clearly only a sample list of those
among us who are in need. Those who consistently make this their first priority
in life are ready. They are no strangers to Jesus because they fully realise
that:
…just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers
and sisters of mine, you did it to me. (Matt 25:40)
Our life, too, as the Second Reading suggests, is like that
of Abraham. It is a journey into the unknown and no amount of precautions or
insurance can take away all uncertainty:
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for
a place that he was to receive as an inheritance, and he set out, not knowing
where he was going.
We would love to have complete control and plans for our
future life, but it seldom works out like that. In fact, we, like Abraham, do
not know where our life journey will lead us. We do know the final destination
but we do not know how or when we will reach it.
A question of quality
The journey that the Scripture speaks about, of course, is not so much about
travelling as about the style and quality and direction of our living. It
includes every experience we will have and how we respond to each one. It will
include the people we come face to face with—either by choice or by
accident—and how we respond to them. We can see experiences and people as
stepping stones to our own self-advancement, as many seem to do, or we can see
them as opportunities to respond in truth and love and service to God entering
our daily lives.
Life is a pilgrimage. It keeps moving. Abraham and his
family:
…stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as
in a foreign land, living in tents…
We would like to have gilt-edged securities for ourselves
but our Christian faith offers us another programme. It is a life lived in love
and service for the Kingdom of God—for a society of justice and peace designed
and built by God. It is in doing this that we amass real wealth not only for
ourselves, but for others as well. By living like this, we are ready, at any
time, to meet our Lord and Saviour. And when we do meet him we will know that
all along we had lived with him in those we loved and served during our
pilgrimage.
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https://livingspace.sacredspace.ie/oc191/
Sunday,
August 10, 2025
19th Sunday
of Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts
of your faithful. You who have already come to make us faithful, come now to
make us blessed.
You who have come so that, with
your help, we may glory in the hope of sharing in the glory of the children of
God,
come again that we may also
glory in its possession. It is you who confirm, consolidate, perfect and bring
to fulfilment.
The Father created us, the Son redeemed us:
fulfil then that which is
yours. Introduce us to the whole truth, to he enjoyment of the highest Good,
to the vision of the Father, the
abundance of all delights, the joy of joys. Amen (Gualtiero di S. Vittore)
Lectio
A Key to the Reading - Luke 12: 32-48
We have here a double context: the formation
of the disciples during Jesus’ journey towards Jerusalem (9: 51-19: 28) and the
reaction of the converted pagans in the communities of Luke after their initial
enthusiasm and the prolonged coming of the Lord. The disciples are scared (9:
45) at the new idea of the mission of Jesus who has to suffer (9: 22, 43-44),
and in them continues to dominate the more comforting idea of a glorious
Messiah. Similarly, in the new Christian communities (in the 80’s), there
begins to grow a revival of the pagan spirit. Better wait before converting
definitely and deeply, put off this change of life and way of thinking. Jesus
assures his disciples with three parables and makes them reflect on the meaning
of meeting with God, on the meaning of vigilance and of the responsibility of
each one in the present situation.
A Suggested Division of the Text:
•
12: 32-35 - Introduction
•
12: 36-38 - the parable of the master who
returns from his wedding
•
12: 39 - the parable of the thief who forces his
way
•
12: 40-41 - the disciples implicated
•
12: 42-46 - the parable of the steward
•
12: 47-48 - conclusion
The Text:
32 "Fear not, little flock, for it is
your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions
and give alms; provide yourselves with purses that do not grow old, with a
treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no
moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
35 "Let your loins be girded and your
lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home
from the marriage feast, so that they may open to him at once when he comes and
knocks. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he
comes; truly, I say to you, he will gird himself and have them sit at table,
and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes in the second watch, or in the
third, and finds them so, blessed are those servants! 39 But know this, that if
the householder had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would have been
awake and would not have left his house to be broken into. 40 You also must be
ready; for the Son of man is coming at an unexpected hour." 41 Peter said,
"Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?" 42 And the
Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his master
will set over
his household, to give them their portion of food at the
proper time? 43 Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find
so doing. 44 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 45
But if that servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed in coming,' and
begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink and
get drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not
expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will punish him, and put him
with the unfaithful. 47 And that servant who knew his master's will but did not
make ready or act according to his will, shall receive a severe beating. 48 But
he who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, shall receive a light
beating. Everyone to whom much is given, of him will much be required; and of
him to whom men commit much they will demand the more.
A Moment of Prayerful Silence
so that the
Word of God may penetrate and enlighten our life.
A Few Questions:
•
What did I feel when I read the text? Fear,
trust, surprise, joy, hope, confusion.
. .?
•
How far does Christian life mean joy to me and
how far is it a burden? How far is it a matter of duty and how far of love?
•
What do I feel when I think of a sudden death
for me?
•
How far is communion with God still an
expectation for me and how far something that I already possess?
•
How does the pagan thinking of “carpe diem,”
contrary to Gospel values, manifest itself today?
•
In my life, what does it mean to be vigilant,
faithful, working for the Kingdom and prepared?
A Commentary:
This is a catechesis on the return of the
Lord.
•
12: 32 There is no reason for fear.
Fear not, little
flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you his kingdom. When
the disciples are facing fear, Jesus consoles them with the metaphor of the
flock (Jn 10; 21: 15-17) and the good shepherd. One must fear false prophets
(Mt 7:15). The Father’s will is that not one be lost (Mt 18: 12-16), He will
give us everything (Rom 8: 28-32). A place has been prepared for us from the
beginning of time (Mt 25: 34), we are heirs with the Son (1Pt 1: 3-5).
•
12: 33-34 Today we welcome the richness of
possessing God, the only good. God alone suffices!
Sell
your possessions and give alms; provide yourselves with purses that do not grow
old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief
approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your
heart be also.
Jesus had said that we must not store up treasures (Mt
6:20-21). The Christian community had understood the meaning of freedom from
attachment to goods and the sharing of them (Acts 4:34) because time was short
(1Cor 7:2931). The new life in Christ becomes the criterion for ownership of
any possession.
•
12: 35
A daily commitment.
Let
your loins be girded and your lamps burning;
Because it has pleased the Father to give us the kingdom,
we must be ready to take possession of it, after we have left behind every
hindrance. The Jews girded their long robes at the waist so as to be able to
work better. Elijah girds himself in order to run (1Kings 18: 46). The attitude
that Jesus recommends to those who are expecting his coming is that of getting
down to work and not to give in to mediocrity (1Ts 5: 6-8; 1Pt 5: 8; 1: 13).
Vigilance is fundamental for the Christian. The Christian’s way of life is more
than just an attitude for he/she has now put on Christ and is dedicated to his
Kingdom.
•
12: 37-38
Meeting God will be wonderful.
Blessed
are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes; truly, I say to
you, he will gird himself and have them sit at table, and he come and serve
them. If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them so,
blessed are those servants!
The action of the master who serves his servants is quite
surprising! This was what Jesus did when he washed the feet of his disciples
(Jn 13: 4-5). The division of the night into parts (Mk 13: 35) according to
Roman custom, makes it more difficult for those watching. For those who are
creatively faithful to the Lord, the future is guaranteed.
•
12: 39 Let us not waste time (and money!) in
trying to look into the future.
But
know this, that if the householder had known at what hour the thief was coming,
he would have been awake and would not have left his house to be broken into.
One argument in favor of vigilance is that we do not know
when the Lord will come (Mt. 24: 42-51). Both the day of the final judgement
and of our individual death are unknown. His coming cannot be foreseen (Ap 3:
3). This made a great impression on the disciples (1Ts 2: 1-2; 2Pt 3: 10).
•
12: 40-41
Love not formal membership must be our strength.
You
also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an unexpected hour. Peter
said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?”
Peter, his old self, still thinks of getting some
privileges because he had left everything behind to follow Jesus (Mt 19: 27).
Jesus helps Peter grow in conscience by answering indirectly through the
parable of the good steward.
Conversion is a life-long process, also for those who feel
close to the Lord. 12: 42-44 Combining vigilance and faithful service to the
task entrusted to us.
And
the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his master will
set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing.
Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.
Luke uses “steward” rather than “servant” (Mt 24: 45)
almost suggesting the question made by Peter. Those responsible, particularly,
have to be faithful in their service.
•
12: 45-46
Not putting off our conversion to an indefinite tomorrow.
But
if that servant says to himself, “My master is delayed in coming,” and begins
to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink and get
drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect
him and at an hour he does not know, and will punish him with the unfaithful.
There are those who welcomed enthusiastically the Gospel
message, but now, faced with present difficulties and consequent commitments,
begin to take up once more their old habits: violence, intemperance, not
following instincts. All values that are contrary to the Gospel.
•
12: 47 Giving according to the measure that we
have received.
That
servant who knew his master’s will but did not make ready or act according to
his will, shall receive a severe beating. But he who did not know, and did what
deserved a beating, shall receive a light beating.
The Lord will reward each one according to his/her deeds
(Mt 16: 27) and according to the grace received (Rom 11: 11-24). Jews, pagans,
converted persons or those faithful to their religion will be judged according
to their right conscience.
•
12: 48 For great will be the eternal communion
with God.
Everyone
to whom much is given, of him will much be required; and of him to whom men
commit much they will demand the more.
St. John of the Cross says that at the end of life we will
be judged on love. See also Mt 25: 15- 16.
Psalm 33: 1-5; 13-15; 18-22
Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous! Praise befits the
upright.
Praise the Lord with the lyre,
make melody to him with the
harp of ten strings! Sing to him a new song, play skillfully on the strings,
with loud shouts.
For the word of the Lord is
upright; and all his work is done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and
justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast
love of the Lord. The Lord looks down from heaven,
he sees all the sons of men; from where he sits enthroned
he looks forth on all the
inhabitants of the earth, he who fashions the hearts of them all, and observes
all their deeds.
Behold, the eye of the Lord is
on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may
deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.
Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and shield.
Yea, our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy
name.
Let thy steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in
thee.
Closing Prayer
Father may the same faith burn in our hearts as that
flame that urged Abraham to live on earth as a pilgrim. May our light never
dim, so that, vigilant in expectation of your hour, we may be ushered by you
into our eternal homeland (Collect 19th
Sunday C).
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