Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

The author of Wisdom speaks of “that night” of exodus from bondage in Egypt (1) when the Lord delivered his chosen people from death (Ps). The Lord will come again, perhaps in the midst of night. Let us be prepared for his return (3). As we walk in darkness, our journey to our heavenly homeland is illumined by faith (2).

RDGS

117. NINETEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME C

FIRST READING

Just as you punished our adversaries, you glorified us whom you had summoned.

A reading from the Book of Wisdom (18:6–9)

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.

The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

(Ps 33:1, 12, 18–19, 20–22)

℟. (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.

℟. 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.

℟. 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.

℟. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

SECOND READING

A Longer Form

Abraham looked forward to the city whose architect and maker is God.

A reading from the Letter to the Hebrews (11:1–2, 8–19)

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.

The word of the Lord.

B Shorter Form

Abraham looked forward to the city whose architect and maker is God.

A reading from the Letter to the Hebrews (11:1–2, 8–12)

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.

The word of the Lord.

ALLELUIA

(Mt 24:42a, 44)

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

Stay awake and be ready!

For you do not know on what day your Lord will come.

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL

A Longer Form

You also must be prepared.

+ A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (12:32–48)

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.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

B Shorter Form

You also must be prepared.

+ A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (12:35–40)

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 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.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Main Points

Previous Weeks

18th Sun C - Luke 12:13-21

Rich Man, Bigger Barn

17th Sun C - Luke 11:1-13

Lord’s Prayer

Hospitality

Gifts of the Father

This Week

Scenarios

Servant Severely Beaten Others

Will be severely beaten and assigned to a place of the unfaithful.

Servant who knew of master’s will but did not prepare

beaten severely

Servant unaware but acted like the first two

beaten lightly

Servant Ready

Master will wait on them.

God is Good

God is Love

John 3:16–17 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.”

Idols

Don’t sustain. Don’t satisfy.

For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.

Repent and believe in the gospel.

Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all of these things will be added onto you.

Self inflicted wounds.

Second Reading, Abraham’s obedience.

Your faith has saved you.

Peace be with you.

HOMILY

Good evening. Before I begin the homily I just wanted to take quickly introduce myself as this is not a mass that I have attended regularly. My name is Deacon Ron Aquino and I have only been ordained for a few months now. I’m glad to be with you tonight.

Enough about me, let’s unpack what the Word of God is telling this evening. In our Gospel, we heard about “…those who would be severely beaten”. On second thought, Fr. Ernesto this is only my third homily… can you do this one?

I’m just kidding but we did hear that in gospel right? Before we go there we need to lay down context and have reference of what we are talking about. We heard of these of “beatings” in tonight’s gospel. In the Gospel. Gospel literally means “Good News”. And no, we are not saying Good News everyone we have beatings in store for you. But it does mean that in this reading, there is Good News to be had.

Let’s set that down for a moment….

If I said to you, “God is ______________”, go ahead and shout out you might fill that blank with? Yes. We have reference, we have context. We know that God is Good and that God is Love.

There are two verses in the holy Gospel according to John that can help offer more foundation for readings today. This is John, Chapter 3, Verses 16-17.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.”

John 3:16-17, these two verses are widely regarded as the two most famous verses in scripture. And rightly so, because they give us context of who God is.

My dear Brother and Sisters, we have a God that is good. A God that loves us so much that he gave us his son Jesus, not to condemn us, no to beat us, but love us and to save us. Now that we have this context, we are ready to receive the Good News in Gospel reading this evening.

In it, Jesus speaks of the Master and Servant. In this parable, the servant doesn’t know when the Master is returning. Jesus speaks to four kinds of servants.

1. Servant that severely beat others and eats and drinks the Master’s food.

a. This servant completely disregard the Master’s will and actively does opposite. And this servant takes what is the Master’s for themself.

b. Jesus says that this servant will be severely beaten and assigned a place with the unfaithful.

2. Servant that knows the Master’s will but doesn’t make any preparations.

a. Jesus says that this servant will be beaten severely.

3. Servant that acts like the first two, but isn’t aware of the Master’s will or what is of the Master.

a. Jesus says that this servant will be beaten lightly.

4. Servant that prepares for the coming of the Master.

a. Master will in-turn serve them.

This feels harsh, especially when there isn’t context. But we know we have a God who isn’t looking to condemn, but to save. We know we have a God is good and loving.

These beatings. They aren’t something God does to us. My dear brothers and sisters, these beatings… they are self-inflicted wounds. These beatings don’t come from God. They come from the world.

As we reflect on this teaching, let us substitute the word master with Lord. According the Oxford dictionary, the definition of Lord is:

someone or something having power, authority, or influence; a master or ruler.

In our faith, we speak of Lord God, Lord Jesus, and Lord Holy Spirit. What Jesus is speaking about this evening, is letting the Lord be Lord.

Saint Thomas Aquinas, one of the greatest theologian of The Church, identified four major idols of this world that can lead us away from God… money, power, pleasure, and honor. None of these things in it of themselves are bad. But when they become our idol, or in other words, when we try to fill the space in our life that is meant for God with money, power, pleasure, or honor… we find ourselves unsatisfied, disappointed, yearning, anxious, and litany of other undesired effects. Money, power, pleasure, and honor there are great feelings with them when we received them but they are momentary. Even those with so much excess of these things aren’t satisfied. Millionaires want to be billionaires and billionaires want to be trillionaires. Because it is never enough.

These beatings are self-inflicted wounds. Having money, having influence, having pleasure, or being honored are not bad things. But when you make them your idol, when you give them authority in your life to be your Lord, and to affect your peace. That is when the beatings come.

My dear brothers and my sisters, ask me how I know. You don’t have to ask me, I’ll tell you. I fully admit that at one point of another I have made money, power, pleasure, and honor idols in my life. I was that prodigal son, that asked my Master for my inheritance and struck it out on my own to do it my way even though I receive the teachings of our faith in my childhood catechism. Right or wrong, I didn’t need to be just be told of pain, I guess I needed to feel pain. So that I could understand it and know.

I received the beatings as described by Jesus. I authorized money, power, pleasure, and honor to rob me of my peace. I have made them my idols in a prior season of my life. In that season, I would chase moments of satisfaction by these things but they were always accompanied by the beatings… the dissatisfaction, the disappointment, the unquenchable longing.

These beatings were not of God. This beatings were from a Spirit of Rejection. No matter the raise, the bonus, the promotion, the recognition it was never enough. The pleasure was never pleasurable enough. Because I was trying to fill a hole that could only be filled by God.

Once I recognized this, and removed the authority of money, power, pleasure, and honor over me… my life got better. Peace started to increase as I let my Lord be the Lord of my life. And guess what… money, power, pleasure, and honor… they didn’t go away… if anything they increased.

Matthew, Chapter 6, Verse 33 says:

33 But seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.

My brothers and sisters, I stand before with the testimony of my life that this is true. There was satisfaction know that my God, and his divine providence, would always ensure that I had my daily bread. His grace was enough and peace overflowed in my life.

I also stand before you to tell you that I am also so thankful for the beatings that I have received from the world. At the time, and in the moment, it really was not fun to go through. But I did get through it by the grace of God. And now those beatings serve as a blessing for me. The temptation to make money, power, pleasure, and influence as my idol still come and always will come. But I have been there, done that, got the t-shirt… don’t need to do again. The beatings serve as reference for me. I remember the not so good feelings in that season of my life. And those beatings now help strengthen me against these idol temptations. Even those moments where I turned away from God, and put idols in between me and Him, I now lay that season in His hands. And God. He wasn’t there to condemn me or rub those poor choices in my face. He was there to love me and desired to save me. He took that season away from and used it for His glory and for my blessing.

My dear brothers and sisters,

Your God is so waiting to love on you. He wants to remove the beatings that come from the Spirit of Rejection, the Spirit of not having enough… and wants to give you a new spirit… his Holy Spirit… a Spirit of Adoption, a Spirit of knowing that you are a child of the Most High God. A child who is not condemned but loved and adored.

Our real Master… our real Lord… Lord Jesus repeatedly tells us to not be afraid… to not give authority to the world and all of its fears that rob us of our peace. Jesus tells us that if in faith, we give authority to him to be Lord of our life, then that faith… that faith will save us.

The peace of the Lord is always available to you. No matter what.

I’d like to leave you with one last piece of Sacred Scripture. Hear your loving God call to you now. This is from Saint Paul’s letter to the Phillipians. Chapter 4, verses 4-7.

Joy and Peace.

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! 5 Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. 6 Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. 7 Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

My dear brothers and sisters, please know of the Good News that God loves you so much. He isn’t looking to beat you, or condemn you. But looking to save you from the beatings of the world and the Evil One. It is my hope and my prayer that you feel His love in your life. And that when you do, you go and share the Good News by loving others, so that through you they also may feel God’s love. Amen.

NICENE CREED

I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.

Amen.

APOSTLES’ CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.

Amen.

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