October 21, 2026
Wednesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 475
Reading 1
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
R. (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
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Stay awake!
For you do not know when the Son of Man will come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
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.”
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102126.cfm
Commentary on
Ephesians 3:2-12
Today’s reading is fairly dense and needs to be teased out a
little if we are to get to its central meaning. Paul begins by recapitulating
what the Ephesians and the surrounding churches had previously been told—how
Paul is God’s chosen agent to communicate the blessing of God’s love to the
Gentiles in those places, and that it was through a special revelation made to
him personally that he was given an understanding of previously hidden messages
that God wished his people to know.
As he puts it, he was given “the commission of God’s grace”.
The revelation he speaks about is, first of all, the experience he had on the
way to Damascus (Gal 1:15-16; Acts 9:9-22), which was the great turning point
in his relationship with God.
If Paul’s readers will only look closely at his words, they
will get some idea of the depth of the “mystery of Christ”, that is, of the
whole revelation that has been made to us of the Son of God becoming incarnate
as a human being. And because of this, we could have a direct and unique
experience of God’s love for us and of his desire to make us one with him.
In particular, this mystery as it affects the Ephesians
involves the intimate unity that now binds Jews and Gentiles together through
Christ in a previously unimaginable way. It may be thought of as a secret that
is temporarily hidden, but more than that, it is a plan God is actively working
out and revealing stage by stage.
This revelation has come through:
…his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit…
This was something quite unknown to, or even desired by,
previous generations. The “apostles and prophets” are called “holy” because
they have been set apart for God’s service. This is the real meaning of the
Greek word hagios, a term also applied to all the members of the Church.
The revelation, too, was not only made to Paul; in fact, as he admits, he came
late on the scene. The prophets mentioned here are those of the
New Testament who, in the list of special charisms, come second
only to the Apostles in importance.
The revelation is that:
…the gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the
same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
There is a total equality between them and the Jewish
Christians. This has been brought about by Christ and his gospel which is
directed to people everywhere.
It indicates the unique aspect of the mystery that was not
previously known, namely, the equality and mutuality that Gentiles now have
with Jews in the Church, forming one body. That Gentiles would turn to the God
of Israel and be saved was prophesied in the Old Testament; that they would
come into an organic unity with believing Jews on an equal footing was not
foreseen.
By a special grace or blessing, Paul has been made the
“servant” of that gospel, even though Paul believes that, because of his past
behaviour, he is the very least in the community of the “saints”. He never
ceased being amazed at how he had been chosen by God for his mission,
especially after the way he had tried to wipe out the Christians before his
conversion.
He describes that mission under two aspects: he is to unfold
to the Gentiles all that comes to them through Christ, and also how that is to
be personally experienced by them.
Up to now all of this had remained hidden with God, the
Creator of all. And why was this? It was, says Paul:
…so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich
variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly
places.
This is done in opposition to the evil powers that try to
dominate the world. The evil spirits were unaware of God’s plan for salvation
and so they persuaded human beings to crucify Christ, and it is only the
existence of the Church that makes them aware of it now. For Jesus has risen
and ascended above them all in power and glory.
It is a staggering thought that the Church on earth is
observed, so to speak, by these spiritual powers and that to the degree the
Church is spiritually united, it portrays to them the wisdom of God. This
thought may be essential to understanding the meaning of “calling” mentioned at
the beginning of the next chapter (Eph 4:1), where Paul calls on the Christians
to live worthily of the call they have received. The fact that God had done the
seemingly impossible—reconciling and organically uniting Jews and Gentiles in
one Church—makes the Church the perfect means of displaying God’s wisdom.
So now, all of us can have the courage to approach our God
in complete trust and confidence. We too can thank God that it is through Jesus
Christ, and our fellowship in the Christian community, that we have come to
know and experience the plan and the love of God in our lives.
Let us thank all those individuals and groups who, in one
way or another, have taught us to know and love God in Jesus. And the obvious
response on our part is to go out and, as Church, help others to know and
understand the extraordinary things that God has done for us through Christ our
Lord.
There is also, of course, a huge responsibility on all of us
to strengthen the unity of all Christians among themselves, and also to create
close relations with Jews with whom we share so much. And, we can include
Muslims, who are also “People of the Book”. Let us hear the prayer of Jesus at
the Last Supper:
…that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and
I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you
have sent me. (John 17:21)
Doing so will help to make this union a reality.
Commentary on Luke
12:39-48
Today we have some further warnings on readiness. The
unpredictability of God’s coming for the final call is compared to a thief
breaking into one’s house. If one knew when the thief was coming, one would be
prepared and have everything well locked up. Many people have had the
experience of being burgled or of having their pocket picked. The point is that
we do not know the day or the hour:
…the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Peter asks if this image is just for the disciples or for
the whole world. Jesus answers by telling a parable.
A faithful and farsighted steward is one who is found doing
his job for the household whenever the master returns. The ‘steward’ was one
who had responsibility over the other servants, and Jesus could be referring
here to his Apostles and other leaders of the Christian community. A trusted
slave (‘servant’) too could sometimes be put in charge of an estate.
But if the steward feels that the master is “taking his time
in coming” (i.e. delayed) and sets about abusing the rest of his staff and
wasting his time in debauching himself, he will be severely punished when his
master returns unexpectedly. We know that the early Christians believed that
Jesus would return during their lifetime, but as time went on and there was no
sign of Jesus, Christians could be tempted to become less vigilant and begin to
‘live it up’. It was a dangerous thing to do.
Then Jesus makes a distinction. Those who know their
master’s wishes (like his disciples), but are found misbehaving when he
returns, will be severely punished. Those who do not know (non-disciples,
outsiders) will still be punished for doing wrong, but their punishment will be
less severe than that of those who have received their master’s teaching and
instructions:
From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be
required, and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be
demanded.
We as Christians, with the guidance of the Scriptures and
the teaching of the Church, bear far greater responsibility for the wrongs we
do than others, such as non-Christians or non-religious people, who have less
guidance.
Within the Church, there are people who are better formed
and better informed, and they too bear greater responsibility before God. At
the same time, it might be worth pointing out that those who could avail
themselves of such formation and information and fail to do so may be also
liable to greater accountability. We need to distinguish between nescience and
ignorance. Nescience is simply not knowing or not being aware of some truth or
value. Ignorance is not knowing what I ought to know and have every opportunity
of coming to know.
Ignorance may sometimes be bliss, but not where knowing
Jesus and the Gospel is concerned. And wisdom, far from being folly, is a gift
to be treasured.
https://sacredspace.com/commentary
Wednesday,
October 21, 2026
Ordinary
Time
Opening Prayer
Almighty and everlasting God, our source of power and
inspiration, give us strength and joy in serving you as followers of Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
Gospel Reading - Luke 12: 39-48
Jesus said to his disciples.
'You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what time
the burglar would come, he would not have let anyone break through the wall of
his house. You too must stand ready, because the Son of man is coming at an
hour you do not expect.'
Peter said, 'Lord, do you mean
this parable for us, or for everyone?'
The Lord replied, 'Who, then, is
the wise and trustworthy steward whom the master will place over his household
to give them at the proper time their allowance of food?
Blessed that servant if his
master's arrival finds him doing exactly that. I tell you truly, he will put
him in charge of everything that he owns. But if the servant says to himself,
"My master is taking his time coming," and sets about beating the
menservants and the servant-girls, and eating and drinking and getting drunk,
his master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not
know. The master will cut him off and send him to the same fate as the
unfaithful.
'The servant who knows what his
master wants, but has got nothing ready and done nothing in accord with those
wishes, will be given a great many strokes of the lash.
The one who did not know, but
has acted in such a way that he deserves a beating, will be given fewer
strokes. When someone is given a great deal, a great deal will be demanded of
that person; when someone is entrusted with a great deal, of that person even
more will be expected.
Reflection
Today’s Gospel presents again the exhortation to vigilance
with two other parables. Yesterday, it was the parable of the Master and the
servant (Lk 12: 3638). Today, the first parable is about the householder and
the burglar (Lk 12: 3940) and the other one speaks of the master and the
steward (Lk 12: 41-47).
•
Luke 12: 39-40: The parable of the householder
and of the burglar. You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had
known at what time the burglar would come, he would not have let anyone break
through the walls of the house. You too must stand ready, because the son of
man is coming at an hour you do not expect. So just as the householder does not
know at what hour the burglar will come, in the same way, no one knows the hour
when the Son of Man will arrive. Jesus says this very clearly: "But as for
that day or hour, nobody knows it, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son.
No one but the Father!” (Mk 13: 32). Today many people live worried about the
end of the world. On the streets of the cities, we see written on the walls:
Jesus will return! There are even persons who are in anguish because of the
proximity
of the end of the world, and they
commit suicide. But time goes by and the end of the world does not arrive! Many
times the affirmation “Jesus will return” is used to frighten people and oblige
them to go to church! After waiting and speculation about the coming of Jesus,
many people no longer perceive the presence in our midst, in the most common
things of life, or in daily events. What is important is not to know the hour
of the end of the world, but rather being capable of perceiving the coming of
Jesus who is already present in our midst in the person of the poor (cf Mt 25:
40) and in so many other ways and events of every day life.
•
Luke 12: 41: Peter’s question. “Then, Peter
said, Lord, do you mean this parable for us, or for everyone? The reason for
this question asked by Peter is not clearly understood. It recalls another
episode, in which Jesus responds to a similar question saying: “To you it is
granted to understand the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them it is
not granted” (Mt 13: 10-11; Lk 8: 9-10).
•
Luke 12: 42-48ª: The parable of the householder and
the steward. In the response to Peter’s question, Jesus formulates another
question in the form of a parable: “Who then is the wise and trustworthy
steward whom the master will place over his household to give them at the
proper time their allowance of food?” Immediately after, Jesus himself gives
the response in the parable: the good steward is the one who carries out his
mission of servant, he does not use the goods received for his own advantage,
and is always vigilant and attentive. Perhaps this is an indirect response to
Peter’s question, as if He would say: “Peter, the parable is really for you! It
is up to you to know how to administer well the mission which God has given
you: to coordinate the communities. In this sense, the response is also valid
for each one of us. And here the final warning acquire much sense: “When
someone is given a great deal, a great deal will be demanded of that person;
when someone is entrusted with a great deal, of that person even more will be
expected.”
•
The coming of the Son of Man and the end of this
world. The same problems existed in the Christian communities of the first
centuries. Many people of the communities said that the end of this world was
close at hand and that Jesus would return afterwards. Some from the community
of Thessalonica in Greece, basing themselves in Paul’s preaching said: “Jesus
will return!” (1 Th 4: 13-18; 2 Th 2: 2). And because of this, there were even
persons who no longer worked, because they thought that the coming would be
within a few days or few weeks. Why work if Jesus would return? (cf 2 Th 3:
11). Paul responds that it was not so simple as it seemed, and to those who did
not work he would warn: “He who does not work has no right to eat!” Others
remained looking up to Heaven, waiting for the return of Jesus on the clouds
(cf. Ac 1: 11). And others did not like to wait (2 P 3: 4-9). In general the
Christians lived expecting the imminent coming of Jesus. Jesus would come for
the Final Judgment to end the unjust history of this world here below and to
inaugurate a new phase of history, the definitive phase of the New Heavens and
the New Earth. They thought that it would take place after one or two
generations. Many people would still be alive when Jesus would appear glorious
in Heaven (1Th 4: 16-17; Mk 9: 1). Others, tired of waiting would say: “He will
never come back!” (2 P 3: 4). Even up until today, the final return of Jesus
has not yet taken place! How can this delay be understood? We are not aware
that Jesus has already returned, and that He is in our midst: “Look, I am with
you always, yes, till the end of time.” (Mt 28: 20). He is already at our side
in the struggle for justice, for peace and for life. The plenitude and the
fullness has not been attained, but an example or guarantee of the Kingdom is
already in our midst. This is why, we wait with firm hope for the total
liberation of humanity and of nature (Rm 8: 22-25). And when we wait and we
struggle, we say rightly: “He is already in our midst!” (Mt 25: 40).
Personal Questions
•
The response of Jesus to Peter serves also for
us, for me. Am I a good administrator of the mission which I have received?
•
What do I do in order to be always vigilant?
Concluding Prayer
From the rising of the sun to its setting, praised be the
name of Yahweh!
Supreme over all nations is Yahweh, supreme over the heavens
his glory. (Ps 113: 3-4)
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