SUNDAY HOMILY

XIX SUNDAY HOMILY C

Readings
First Reading: Wisdom 18:6-9
Second Reading: Heb. 11: 1-2, 8-19
Gosple: Luke12: 32-48

Anecdote 1) Be watchful servants: Steven Anthony "Steve" Ballmer (born March 24,
1956) has been the chief executive officer of Microsoft Corporation since January 2000. As of
2010, he is one of the richest people in the world with a personal wealth estimated at
US$14.5 billion in 2010. He's Bill Gates' hand-picked successor. In 2004 he was seen
crawling on the floor of the General Motors' executive conference room, trying to fix a
connection that would enable him to make a pitch to GM engineers. The image of the
Microsoft CEO on his hands and knees to please some customers made such an impression
on the author Steve Hamm that he wrote a whole article based on this one incident. (Steve
Hamm, "Why High Tech Has to Stay Humble," Business Week, 19 January 2004, pp76-77.)
Corporate executives will get on their hands and knees to show customers how much they
care. In today’s gospel Jesus warns his followers to be ever prepared by doing the will of God
always in their lives, as the time of their death is uncertain.

Anecdote 2) Privilege carries responsibility: Three years ago, in a game against the
Washington Nationals in San Francisco, Barry Bonds whacked his 756th homer, breaking the
33-year-old mark held by legendary player Hank Aaron. This was the 756th home run of
Bonds' career, breaking a record that had stood for 33 years. None of the legendary players
of the game like Yogi Berra, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays or the previous record holder Hank
Aaron could accomplish it. But in spite of Bond’s miraculous achievement being tarnished by
allegations of steroid use, another baseball player still lives in people’s hearts. It is Cal
Ripken, the former baseball player for the Baltimore Orioles. He was a sports hero of two
decades simply because he always showed up and gave his best and was ready for action at
any time. He got ten national awards in ten years including 1996 Male Athlete of the Year
and 2001 All-Star Game Most Valuable Player. He learned the principle that faithfulness
demands consistency, commitment, and hard work. He never missed a single game in
sixteen years of playing baseball! He earned the nickname "Iron Man" by playing in a record
2632 consecutive major league games. The string of successive games ran from May 30,
1982 to September 19, 1998. Perhaps, Ripken's determination, and Barry Bonds’ failure, to
live an allegation-free career by avoiding steroids, remind us of today’s gospel which tells us
that the joy and privilege of being a son or daughter of God carries with it the more
awesome responsibility of being faithful to God in our stewardship. The gospel passage also
reminds us that we should avoid the temptation to put off for tomorrow what Jesus expects
of us today.

Additional Anecdote 3) Look Busy, Be Busy: Today’s Gospel reading reminds me of the
old story of the apparition on the corner of Main and Market in a busy city. It was Saturday
morning when Fr. Pascucci heard a knock on the rectory door and an extremely excited lady
said, "The Lord has appeared on the corner of Main and Market." Father was in the process
of trying to decide if she was suffering from stress or whatever, when a second person came
running, "Father, Father, the Lord has appeared on the corner of Main and Market." "When?"
Fr. Pascucci asked. "He’s there right now," they both answered. So Fr. Pascucci went down
the block where a large crowed had formed, and sure enough, he saw Jesus. After a while
the Lord left. Fr. Pascucci didn’t know what to do, so he called a monsignor friend of his. His
friend told him to call the bishop. So Father Pascucci called the bishop and told him the
news, "The Lord has appeared on the corner of Main and Market. What should I do if he
comes back?" The bishop thought for a while and then told Fr. Pascucci he’d get back to
him. The bishop then called Rome, and, being an important bishop, he got the pope. "Holy
Father," he said, "One of my priests, Fr. Pascucci, reports that the Lord has appeared on the
corner of Main and Market in his parish. He wants to know what he should do in case the
Lord comes back." After a few moments the pope replied, "Tell Fr. Pascucci to look busy."
Good advice for us all. The Lord is coming back. How should we prepare? Not just by looking
busy, but by being busy, doing good to others by humble service. (Fr. Pellegrino)

Additional Anecdote 4) “I have sent you many messengers.” According to an old

fable, a man made an unusual agreement with Death. He told the Grim Reaper that he
would willingly accompany him when it came time to die, but only on one condition – that
Death would send a messenger well in advance to warn him. Weeks turned into months, and
months into years. Then one bitter winter evening, as the man sat thinking about all his
possessions, Death suddenly entered the room and tapped him on the shoulder. Startled,
the man cried out, "You're here so soon and without warning! I thought we had an
agreement." Death replied, "I've more than kept my part. I've sent you many messengers.
Look in the mirror and you'll see some of them." As the man complied, Death whispered,
"Notice your hair! Once it was full and golden, now it is thin and white. Look at the way you
tilt your head to listen to me because you can't hear very well. Observe how close to the
mirror you must stand to see yourself clearly. Yes, I've sent many messengers through the
years. I'm sorry you're not ready, but the time has come for you to leave."

Introduction

The central theme of today’s readings is the necessity of trusting faith in God’s promises
and vigilant preparedness in the followers of Christ. The first reading cites the faith-filled
preparedness of the ancient Hebrew slaves in Egypt before their mass exodus to the
Promised Land. Their trusting faith in their God’s promises gave them hope. We are told how
their faith and hope resulted in their liberation. With expectant hope, the Hebrews sacrificed
the first Passover lamb and ate the first ritual meal, as prescribed by their God through
Moses. They awaited their imminent release and were prepared for it. Today’s Psalm invites
us to express our own confidence in God and declare our trust in his providence. In the
Second Reading, taken from the last chapter of Paul’s letter to the Hebrews, Paul defines
faith as “the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” He tries to
bolster the faith of the Jewish Christians (the Hebrews) by appealing to the example of their
ancestors, starting with Abraham, and narrating the things they had accomplished by faith.
In the Gospel, Jesus challenges his disciples to trust the Father’s promise to give them
eternal happiness in His kingdom. But they are to be prepared at all times, because the Son
of Man may come at an unexpected hour either at the moment of their death or at the end
of the world. Using the master-servant parable Jesus reminds us to do the will of God always
by obeying Jesus’ commandment of love by doing humble and sacrificial service to others.
Using the master- thief parable Jesus warns us to be on our guard so that the thief- the devil
- may not steal our treasure of divine grace by his temptations.

First reading, Wisdom 18, 6-9: The book of Wisdom was written about a century before
the coming of Jesus, by a faithful, very literate Jew living in cosmopolitan Alexandria in
Egypt. One of his purposes was to bolster the faith of fellow Jews living in a world indifferent,
and sometimes hostile, to their beliefs. A favorite theme of the writer is how the providence
of God has protected the chosen people throughout their history, especially during the time
of their enslavement in Egypt and during the Exodus therefrom under Moses. The author
goes over these events in great detail. Our verses today interpret Exodus chapters 11 and
12 where, while the angel of the Lord was striking down the first-born of Pharaoh and other
Egyptians, the vigilant Hebrew slaves were both offering grateful sacrifice to the Lord and
eating the meat of the lamb to fortify themselves for their coming escape. That night was
the first Passover. Like those Jewish slaves in Egypt, we, too, have been called to cling to the
hope of a future that may seem too good to be true, and we, too, are expected to be
steadfast in our faith, even when we see no signs of the fulfillment of God’s promises.

Second Reading, Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19: This passage is taken from the end of the Letter
to the Hebrews. It contains the only explicit definition of faith in the Bible: “Faith is the
realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” Like our first reading, the
Letter to the Hebrews was trying to bolster the faith of the Jewish Christians (Hebrews) by
appealing to the example of their ancestors who had believed in promises yet to be fulfilled.
The chief example of strong faith is found in their patriarch Abraham, a wealthy but childless
pagan in Ur of the Chaldees (modern Iraq). Abraham heard the voice of God summoning him
to a different land, where God promised to grant him many descendants. By faith Abraham
left his homeland, accepted God’s promise that his descendants would form a great nation
and was willing to sacrifice his son Isaac at God’s command. Despite obstacles and setbacks,
Abraham stayed obedient, "for he thought that the one who had made the promise was
trustworthy." The first century Jewish Christians were ostracized from the institutions
(sacrifices, priesthood, rituals) of mainline Judaism. To bolster their faith, the author
provided a complex treatise showing that, in their new life in Christ, they were more than
compensated for what they had lost. They were given the assurance that Christ’s promises
for his believers exceeded the promises given to their Jewish ancestors.

Exegesis

Be ready for your death and Jesus’ Second Coming: Today’s reading from Luke 12 is
one of three eschatological discourses in the Gospel. All three of the Synoptic Gospels record
Jesus’ concern to warn his disciples to keep alert, to keep watch over themselves with
careful attention. The passage is a collection of short parables, in which the chief characters
are a master (representing the risen Jesus) and his servants (Jesus’ followers).According to
the Fathers of the Church, Jesus' words in this passage have two senses. In the narrower
sense, the words refer to the Second Coming of Jesus, but in the broader sense they refer to
the time of our own death, when God will call us to meet Him and to give Him an account of
our life on earth. Since the precise time of each is unknown to us, the proper attitude for
Jesus’ followers is constant watchfulness.

Relationship by grace: In the first part of today’s gospel Jesus tells us what our real
treasure should be and how we may keep it safe. The treasure God offers is of far greater
value and is more secure than any earthly treasure. Nevertheless, it is possible for us to lose
this treasure if we do not guard it carefully. The treasure is the relationship with him which
the Lord offers us in his promise of eternal life. But this treasure can be stolen by the devil or
lost by a lack of vigilance in the midst of our temptations. Jesus uses two comparisons to
explain the nature of the vigilance required of us. We must be ready for action like an
oriental servant and trimmed for service like an oil lamp. The long flowing robes worn by
people of the day were a hindrance to work. When a man prepared himself to work, he
gathered up his robes under his girdle (belt) in order to leave himself free for activity. The
reference to fastened belts and lamps burning ready (v. 35) also recalled the preparedness
for action which was legislated for Israel in the Passover ritual (Exodus 12:1). Just as the
Israelites were to be ready to pass from slavery to freedom, so were the disciples to live in a
state of alertness in order to recognize and accept the Passover from sin and death to
forgiveness and life which Jesus offered. The eastern lamp was like a cotton wick floating in
a vessel of oil. The wick had to be kept trimmed at all times and the lamp replenished with
oil. Otherwise the light would go out. What Jesus teaches us through these comparisons is
that our relationship with God the Father must be constantly replenished by our prayers, our
sacramental life, the reading of Holy Scriptures and acts of charity. Since the Lord is
committed to us in a covenant of unbreakable love and fidelity, we must respond with equal
commitment, no matter how difficult it may be. Fortunately, God gives us the grace and
strength to remain faithful, and He will reward our faithfulness.

Steadfast faith and eternal vigilance: In the second part of today’s gospel, Jesus exhorts
his followers to be steadfast in their faith and ever vigilant. He explains his point using three
mini-parables. The servants of a master were entrusted with the management of the
household. During Jesus' days, although stewards were slaves, they had almost unlimited
power. A trusted steward ran his master's house and administered his estate. When his
master was not at home, the steward was ever vigilant. He prepared himself for his master’s
return at any time of the day or night by always doing his duties faithfully. Jesus illustrates
the same point using another mini-parable of the wise servants waiting for the return of
their master after a wedding feast.

Jesus teaches us the need for constant vigilance using yet another mini-parable of the thief
and the treasure. We should not lose our treasure of divine grace like the man who awoke
one day to discover that a thief had stolen his wealth at night. These parables are addressed
to all believers to encourage "wakefulness" and preparedness. We must be vigilant like the
servant in the parable waiting for his master's unexpected return or like the wise
homeowner who was well prepared for the unexpected break-in of a thief. Since the time of
our death is quite uncertain, we, too, must be ever ready to meet our Lord at any moment.
He should find us carrying out our task of love, mercy and service, rather than leaving things
undone or half-done. He should also find us at peace with God, ourselves and with our
fellowmen (Eph.4:26)

Irreparable mistakes: Jesus then presents the parable of the unwise steward as a warning
to us. The unwise steward made two mistakes. (i) He said, “I will do what I like while my
master is away." Like him, we often forget that our Lord is always with us, and that we will
be accountable to him on the day of reckoning. Misuse of an office for one’s own advantage
or the abuse of others will bring about severe punishment, for the returning Lord will place
that servant “with the unfaithful.” (ii) He said, “I have plenty of time to put things right
before the master comes." Nothing is as fatal to the accomplishment of a task as
procrastination. Jesus also warns us that knowledge and privilege bring responsibility with
them. Today, looking back on two thousand years of Christian history, we find it difficult to
expect Christ’s second coming during our lifetime. But we are sure to meet him at our death
and we should always be ready to give him an account of our lives.

Life messages

1) We need to be vigilant and ready to face the Lord. One of the traditional means for
remaining alert is prayer. The most important element in prayer is listening to God – an
attitude of attention to the "tiny whispering sound" of the Lord (1 Kings 19:11-12). Such
attentiveness demands that we set aside a quiet time every day during which we can tune
our ears to the divine sounds of love, harmony and peace. Let us recall the words of the
Book of Revelation: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and
opens the door, I will enter his house and dine with him and he with me" (3:20).

2) We need to wait for the Lord. "Waiting for Christ to return" means working for the
coming of the Kingdom of God. This means doing God’s will by rendering humble service to
others, by combating poverty, by ending the hatred that divides us, by establishing peace
among individuals and nations, by curbing the pride that causes us to become
confrontational, and by building social structures that respect the dignity of individual
humans. We must wait for the Lord in our daily lives by learning to see Jesus in the least of
our brothers and sisters. In other words, we must be prepared to serve Jesus in whatever
form he takes. What we frequently discover in "serving" other people is that God comes to
us through them.

Humour of the Week:

1) Get ready for the heavenly trip. During his sermon, an evangelist asked all who
wanted to go to heaven to raise their hands. Everyone in the audience did so--except for one
elderly man sitting near the front of the auditorium. The preacher pointed his finger at him
and said, "Sir, do you mean to tell us that you don't want to go to heaven?" "Sure I do," the
old man answered, "but the way you put the question, I figured you were getting up a
busload for tonight!'

2) Grandpa ready to meet his Lord. God created the mule, and told him, "You will be
mule, working constantly from dusk to dawn, carrying heavy loads on your back. You will eat
grass and lack intelligence. You will live for fifty years."
The mule answered, "To live like this for fifty years is too much. Please, give me only twenty
years." And it was so. Then God created the dog, and told him, "You will hold vigilance over
the dwellings of Man, to whom you will be his greatest companion. You will eat his table
scraps and live for twenty-five years." And the dog responded, "Lord, to live twenty-five
years as a dog is too much. Please, make it ten years." And it was so. God then created the
monkey, and told him, "You are monkey. You shall swing from tree to tree, acting like an
idiot. You will be funny, and you shall live for twenty years." And the monkey responded,
"Lord, to live twenty years as a clown is too much. Please, Lord, make it ten years." And it
was so. Finally, God created Man and told him, "You are Man, the only rational being that
walks the earth. You will use your intelligence to have mastery over the creatures of the
world. You will dominate the earth and live for twenty years." And the man responded,
"Lord, to be Man for only twenty years is too little. Please give me the thirty years the mule
refused, the fifteen years the dog refused, and the ten years the monkey rejected." And it
was so.
And so God made him to live 20 years as a man, then marry and live thirty years as a mule--
working and carrying heavy loads on his back--then, have children and live fifteen years as a
dog – guarding the house and eating leftovers; then, in his old age, to live ten years as a
monkey, acting like an idiot to amuse his grandchildren and waiting for the Lord’s final call
during the sleepless nights.

3) Faith and believing: There has long been the tale of the Loch Ness monster in the
highlands of Scotland. Some people claim that they have seen its dark form on the surface
of the murky waters; others claim the tale is just a hoax. Well it seems an atheist was
spending quiet day fishing on the lake when suddenly his boat was rocked by the monster.
The beast threw him and his boat high into the air. Then it opened its mouth to swallow
them both. As the atheist fell to certain death, he cried out, "Please, good God, help me!" At
once the terrifying scene froze in place, with the man suspended in midair, held by some
mysterious force above the gaping jaws of the monster. A booming voice was heard from
the clouds, "I thought you didn’t believe in Me!" The man pleaded, "Oh come on God, give
me a break! I didn’t believe in the Loch Ness monster either!"

Synopsis of XIX Sunday Homily C on Luke 12: 32-48

Importance

The central theme of today’s readings is the necessity of trusting faith in God’s promises
and vigilant preparedness in the followers of Christ.

Scripture lessons

The first reading cites the faith-filled preparedness of the ancient Hebrew slaves in Egypt
before their mass exodus to the Promised Land. Their trusting faith in their God’s promises
gave them hope. We are told how their faith and hope resulted in their liberation. With
expectant hope, the Hebrews sacrificed the first Passover lamb and ate the first ritual meal,
as prescribed by their God through Moses. They awaited their imminent release and were
prepared for it.Today’s Psalm invites us to express our own confidence in God and declare
our trust in his providence. In the Second Reading, taken from the last chapter of Paul’s
letter to the Hebrews, Paul defines faith as “the realization of what is hoped for and
evidence of things not seen.” He tries to bolster the faith of the Jewish Christians (the
Hebrews) by appealing to the example of their ancestors, starting with Abraham, and
narrating the things they had accomplished by faith.In the Gospel, Jesus challenges his
disciples to trust the Father’s promise to give them eternal happiness in His kingdom. But
they are to be prepared at all times, because the Son of Man may come at an unexpected
hour either at the moment of their death or at the end of the world. Using the master-
servant parable Jesus reminds us to do the will of God always by obeying Jesus’
commandment of love by doing humble and sacrificial service to others. Using the master-
thief parable Jesus warns us to be on our guard so that the thief- the devil - may not steal
our treasure of divine grace by his temptations.

Life messages

1) Be vigilant and ready to face the Lord. One of the traditional means for remaining
alert is prayer. The most important element in prayer is listening to God – an attitude of
attention to the "tiny whispering sound" of the Lord (1 Kings 19:11-12). Such attentiveness
demands that we set aside a quiet time every day, during which we can tune our ears to the
divine sounds of love, harmony and peace. Let us recall the words of the Book of Revelation:
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will
enter his house and dine with him and he with me"
2) Wait for the Lord. "Waiting for Christ to return" means working for the coming of the
Kingdom of God. It means doing God’s will by rendering humble service to others, by
combating poverty, by ending the hatred that divides us, by establishing peace among
individuals and nations, by curbing the pride that causes us to become confrontational, and
by building social structures that respect the dignity of individual humans. We must wait for
the Lord in our daily lives by learning to see Jesus in the least of our brothers and sisters. In
other words, we must be prepared to serve Jesus in whatever form he appears.