Daily Gospel Reflection
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August 27, 2020
Jesus said to his disciples: “Stay awake! For you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.
“Who then is the faithful and wise slave, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves their allowance of food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives. Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions.
“But if that wicked slave says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and he begins to beat his fellow slaves, and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know. He will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
The message of vigilance in today’s gospel is appropriate to our challenging times in 2020. I seem to be alternating between the laziness of quarantine life where the days blur together and sudden hypervigilance as new calamities come to light in fits and starts.
The times that we live in are our own and we cannot wish away the circumstances of our day. Every generation feels the same about the times they live in, I imagine, and it is the hard years that remind us of our fragility as a human community and the importance of caring for each other. The importance of faith.
While 2020 is not quite as apocalyptic as the dramatic imagery of today’s gospel, it does show us that the hard times help us connect with our faith in ways that we might not normally experience. Due to our changed schedules and increased time at home, I have made time for meditation and even the rosary. But the interesting thing about this passage is that Jesus tells us, “blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives.” Prayer is the work of our spirits and an important offering to God, but this line tells me that there is a more active aspect than just interior dispositions in the vigilance that Jesus is talking about here. It makes me wonder, “what else can I do to respond to the challenges of our times in a concrete way?”
In these trying times, let us be vigilant and look for God in all things. Let us give our lives to God through the prayers of our spirits, the dispositions of our hearts, and the work of our hands.
Prayer
Lord God, your ways are mysterious and we are easily distracted and lulled to sleep. Help us to be alert, and to be not presumptuous of your mercy. Enlighten us that we may recognize the danger of drifting through our days and being overtaken by our own negligence. Wake us and enable us by your grace. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Monica was, above all, a stubborn mother.
She was married at a young age to an adulterous government official with a violent temper. Years of Monica’s patience and prayer converted him to Christianity just before he died. She prayed unceasingly for her children as well, especially for her brilliant but wayward son, Augustine. Priests learned to avoid her because of her persistence in asking for prayers for him.
She followed Augustine as he pursued studies in Carthage and Rome, praying at shrines and chapels the whole way. They both finally arrived at Milan, where they met St. Ambrose. It was under Ambrose’s guidance that Augustine fulfilled his potential and became one of the most brilliant writers and thinkers the Church has ever known. After 17 years of constant prayer, Monica saw her son baptized when he was 32; St. Augustine’s feast day is tomorrow.
St. Monica is the patron saint of alcoholics, victims of abuse and adultery, widows, and mothers facing family difficulties. Her relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica. Her story and image are used by high school students who come to campus for a summer conference with the Notre Dame Vision program.
St. Monica, your prayer brought your family to Christ, pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Monica is an illustration by Julie Lonneman, who holds exclusive rights to the further distribution and publication of her art. Used with permission.