SUNDAY, AUGUST 7, 2022
NINETEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR C
First Reading: Wisdom 18:6-9
Second Reading: Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 33:1, 12, 18-22
Gospel: Luke 12:32-48
The first reading today is from the final part of the Book of Wisdom (18, 6 -9). It contrasts the severe way God deals with the Egyptians and His kindness to the Israelites. It praises God as the liberator of his people. It glorifies God for His great power that destroyed the first born of the Egyptians, yet at the same time freed His people at the Exodus. Israel was saved because Israel was wise; Israel listened to God and awaited the salvation of the just (verse 7). The Egyptians were destroyed because they did not listen to God.
The responsorial Psalm celebrates the blessedness of those whom God has chosen as His own, the nation that believes in Him and depend on Him for help and salvation. That is why the second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews calls us to faith. It draws upon the examples of the patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to paint an inspiring portrait of religious faith, firm and unyielding in the face of any obstacles that may confront it. The author does not define faith but describes what authentic faith does. Through faith, God guarantees the blessings to be hoped for from Him.
After teaching his disciples that our lives are not secured by possessions with the parable of the rich fool, Jesus began a discourse on the need spend our life here on earth wisely and with foresight; to be vigilant. He uses two metaphors: “gird your loins” and “light your lamps.” Gird your loins is derived from Exodus 12: 11, where it described the readiness required during the Passover and Exodus. A long robe is cinched up to free the feet for action and for movement. In 1 Kings 18: 46, Elijah had to gird his loins to outrun the rain. The Jews used to hitch up the flowing garments they normally wore when they are getting ready to work or embark on a journey. That is vigilance. To light one’s lamp indicates the sort of attitude a person should have who is on the watch or is waiting for the arrival of someone special who may be coming late. This is also vigilance.
Why are the disciples of Jesus exhorted to be vigilant? First, vigilance expresses the permanent disposition of the disciple. It expresses itself in the spirit of prayer, active faith and personal sanctity. To be vigilant is not passive. It is not to sit idle. Vigilance is characteristic of a loving heart. A loving heart is a vigilant heart, attentive to the object of its love. A person in love is always awake (Song 5: 2). A disciple is called to be vigilant because we do not know the time of the Lord’s coming. “Blessed is the servant whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.” Another reason to be vigilant is as St Peter says, ‘our enemy, the devil is always on the prowl looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). Not being vigilant is slut, it is to open the door for all kinds of vices. It is not to be with active faith and virtues, it is to be easy prey for the devil.
The Gospel of Luke was written some 50 years after the death, resurrection and ascension of Our Lord. Our text today addresses concerns regarding laxity on the part of members of the community who had been waiting for Jesus’s return and were discouraged by his delay. It is now over two thousand years. The temptation to be lax or negligent and sleep away is even more. Those who become negligent and sleep away get caught when the master shows up and punished. It calls for faith and vigilance in the light of the certainty of coming accountability and judgement. Fidelity will be proportionately rewarded. Infidelity will be punished.
Reflect today on your readiness for the master if he shows up today. Jesus demands a response that is both total and immediate. When He called his first disciples, they “immediately abandoned their nets and followed Him.” Even Matthew, the tax collector, a man entrenched in the life of economics and business, “got up and followed him” without hesitation! Jesus said to the man who want to follow him only after the affairs of a dead relative are in order, “Follow me, and let the dead bury the dead.” Let us fasten our belts and light our lamps in readiness for Jesus who comes to us everyday and who will come again to judge the living and the dead.
Happy Sunday
Fr Chidi Onwuka Msscc