During the Passover, after carrying out the instructions God revealed to Moses, the Israelites await their salvation. In their journey to the Promised Land, God reveals himself to his people, but this means the Israelites are called to adhere to the covenant. When they are faithful to the Word of God, they receive abundant blessings. When they turn away, they experience hardships, their enemies prevail, and they’re unhappy.
At the end of this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus proclaims, “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more” (Lk 12:48). Through God’s revelation of himself in the Incarnation, through Scripture and tradition, we have been given much. Through our baptism we have each been brought into relationship with God. Like the people of Israel, this relationship bears upon how we carry out our lives. We are called to be vigilant in our actions. We are called to prepare for the Lord’s return, or at the very least, prepare for when we go to meet him at the end of our life.
In the busyness of each day it is easy to forget that the Lord is indeed coming again. We are called, however, to remain vigilant in waiting for the Lord, and the way we do this is by carrying out his will. We are fortunate to have received the grace of faith, and it is by this grace that we are able to know God’s will for us. On a universal level, we are all called to holiness. On a particular level, each of us is called to a unique way of becoming holy, whether as a priest, deacon, religious member, married or single.
Through revelation, through Scripture and tradition, God has revealed himself to us, and he has entrusted us with a task — to make his name known and loved. The more attentive we are to undertaking this work, the more watchful we will be in our day-to-day activities. We will be like the people of Israel described in the first reading, awaiting “the salvation of the just.” We will be like the servants who are vigilant, prepared for the Master’s coming.
This focus on carrying out God’s will in each of our lives will help us live by faith and will encourage us to put our treasure in heaven. This means spending time each day in prayer listening to the Lord. It also means spending time with the Scriptures. It means, ultimately, putting our faith into practice. When we do this, we will be prepared for the day we go to meet the Lord, or for the day when he comes to meet us.
Deacon Froehle is in formation for the priesthood at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. His teaching parish is
Our Lady of the Lake in Mound, and his home parish is the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul.
Sunday, Aug. 7
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings
- Wis 18:6-9
- Heb 11:1-2, 8-19
- Lk 12:32-48
