19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C) 08-12-07

Scripture Readings
First: Wisdom 18:6-9.
Second: Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19 or 11:1-2, 8-12.
Gospel: Luke 12:32-48 or 12:35-40.

Prepared by: Fr. Stephen Dominic Hayes, OP

1. Subject Matter

• This week of Ordinary Time presents us a rich feast of classic readings. If there is any one
theme in which they all cohere, it is that of the structure of hope - that theological virtue
which is the essential link between divine truth received in faith and the carrying out of
Christian living in charity. The acceptance by the intellect of divine truth must necessarily
flow into that motion of the will which desires to taste that which is known in truth as
goodness. Thus the truth revealed by God engenders a desire for possessing him, which is
identical with eternal happiness, and is the proper act of the theological virtue of hope.
• Interwoven with a discussion of hope and the dynamics of its growth in the human heart,
must be discussion of that gift of the Holy Spirit called "fear of the Lord." Pace the weak and
politically correct replacement of this ancient Biblical expression by the politically correct
"respect and awe" seen in some of our catechetical texts, the gift of fear of the Lord has an
established and specific doctrine of progressive purification of our passions behind it, which
the readings illustrate.
• The hope that humanity has for eternal happiness with God has become certain and manifest
with the appearance of God made flesh in Jesus Christ our Lord. In him, who as Man has
been made Master of the household of God, we find our expectation both of the goodness of
eternal happiness and the goodness of divine justice. When the Master of the house returns
in his glory, we may be sure that he will set to rights that which is wrong or unjust in his
household to the great sorrow of those of his servants who prove unfaithful, and will raise
those servants who remain vigilant and faithful to an eternal feast of happiness which he will
provide with his own hand.
• The vigilance of the heart which the Master requires is presented specifically as a watching
for his coming; by keeping Jesus before the eyes of our heart at all times, we behold in the
vision of his glorified humanity both the eventual form of our own fulfillment in glory, as well
as the visible manifestation of the divine Person by whose power and aid our hopes of
eternal life are to be attained.
• The Gospel illustrates the difference between servile and filial fear of the Lord. Christ our
hope is in his holy and perfect humanity the manifestation of the Father' s will for us; as we
come close to him in charity, as he remains the object of our vigilant attention in mind and
heart, our very treasure, so do we embrace that will of the Father as Christ himself did. This
is the filial fear of the Lord that casts out the fear of the slave, who sees in the coming the
Master only the just punishment for his own wickedness. Yet the Lord presents this servile
fear, as something better than that of the servant who has no fear of the Master's return;
willfully ignorant, he uses his Master's goods, and abuses his fellow servants; in his drunken
folly, he will be taken in complete surprise, when his just Master returns to put the house in
order.

2. Exegetical Notes

• On the First Reading: This passage from the Book of Wisdom follows upon a description
(vv. 5-6) of how differently God treated the Egyptians and the Israelites in the course of the
passage from Egypt. The passage is characterized by the reversal of fortunes of the powerful
wicked (in this case, the Egyptians) and the presently powerless people of God (the House of
Israel). Led by Moses, who as a child had been rescued by God, being drawn forth from the
Nile waters by Pharaoh’s daughter, the Israelites escaped the soldiers of Pharaoh, who were
drowned in the Red Sea waters. The present passage points out that the celebration of the
Passover prophesied this destruction of the foes of the people ahead of time; the destruction
of the firstborn of Egypt by the destroying angel points to the even greater destruction of
Egypt’s sons in the Red Sea. “Exodus does not assign any relation between the killing of
Israel's sons and the tenth plague; but for Wisdom, the events furnish another example of the
law of talion” (11:16) (Addison G. Wright, S.S.): the Egyptians who had killed the male
children of Israel lost their firstborn, and those who had used the Nile to drown Israel's
children were themselves drowned in the Red Sea. This Passover celebration, which
prophesied the destruction of the power of Egypt is at the same time the event in which the
people of Israel began to be formed as a nation themselves, “putting into effect with one
accord the divine institution”(v.9) (ibid.). God's holy people sing the “praises of the fathers”
(the Hallel Psalms), while, in verse 10, the Egyptians mourn their dead. This passage
appears in our Lady's Magnificat in Luke 2:51-51. “ He has shown might with his arm,
dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has raised up the lowly.”
• On the Second Reading:
A. Verse 1 presents a problem in the meaning of the Greek words hypostasis (
assurance) and elenchus (conviction). Myles M. Bourke suggests that these words are
not to be taken in any “ objective" sense; rather they refer to the attitude of the believer
towards that which is revealed by God in faith. "The first term concerns that which is not
present, but is confidently awaited; the second, that which while present reality is not
known except by faith. … The verse accurately describes Christian existence, which is
marked by assurance of the goods promised by God will be fully possessed in the future
(10:39), and by conviction that the past and present facts on which that assurance is
based (Jesus’ saving death and his heavenly priesthood) are indeed facts and not
illusion.”
 B. In vv. 8-19, the author of Hebrews presents Abraham as a model of faith. Like St.
Paul’s presentation of Abraham, the patriarch shows his faith by Fidelity to God's
command to migrate to the line of Canaan, and by his trust that his descendents would
possess the land, though he himself would only have the life of a nomad within it. The
author, however, in this passage, presents Abraham as one who sojourns in Canaan .
alternately because, as one who trusts that his destiny is in fact, elsewhere, hidden in
God, “ for he was looking forward to the city with foundations whose architect and maker
is God.” He sojourns, because his citizenship is not here. In this the author of Hebrews
makes a connection to his Christian audience, whose trust in Christ's also urges them on
to glory. In vv. 13-19, the identification with Abraham and Sarah is made complete, and
bound up with the act of a faith, which does not presently have in its possession “ what
had been promised, “ but, like Abraham and Sarah, sees and greets it from afar. Thus the
readers of this letter are encouraged to imitate the patriarchs in placing their hope . the
promises of Christ, who has gone ahead “to prepare a city for them,” that new and
heavenly Jerusalem seen now only in faith, and tasted in hope.
• On the Gospel: This passage divides itself naturally into three parts. In vv. 32 through 34,
the Lord Jesus directs his flock not to fear, but to put the treasure of their heart in heavenly
things, in which only is true security. Secondly (vv.35-40) comes the injunction to stay on
the alert, "with your loins girded and your lamps burning," even the worst of this world's
darkness and night, expecting constantly the advent of the Master, who shall come, he
warns, "unexpectedly.” Finally, in vv.41-48, we have Jesus responds to Peter's question as
to whether the parable is intended for the disciples, or for the whole world. This Jesus
responds with a simile, which contrasts " that good and faithful servant " whom the master
sets over his household, who faithfully fulfills his obligations to his Master and to his fellow
servants with the servant who blindly ignores the inevitability of his Master's return and
abuses his position, "and begins to beat the servants and handmaids and to eat and drink
and get drunk," who will be justly and severely punished as an infidel when the master sets
things right. This is a severe warning to those who stand set as servants over the Lord's
household in the apostolic ministry.
A. Vv. 32-34: In contrast to Matthew 6:21, Luke presents a more positive and
demanding ideal, not merely to avoid wealth but to use wealth as alms for the building up of
treasure in heaven. The Lord speaks as shepherd of his "little flock" in a particularly tender way,
urging them to use the things of this world for the purpose of life in the next. This is true
treasure, and their hearts will follow it to glory.
B. Vv. 35-40: The Lord uses the figure of servants watching for their Master's return
from a feast to emphasize the necessity of vigilance and faithful service. In Luke's Gospel,
where Matthew and Mark tend to speak of the fall of Jerusalem and the coming reign of God,
Luke emphasizes the present life of the Spirit in the disciples of Jesus; from his vantage point,
the Spirit has already been given, and the reign of God is already manifest among the believers.
Thus comes the imperative to persist in living in Spirit's power, to shine with the Spirit's light in
the present darkness until the Master finally arrives, bringing the daybreak with him. Though the
Lord's glorious resurrection body is not yet with us, we are to keep him firmly in mind,
"watching" for him with a close spiritual attention until the seen in face-to-face. In this spiritual
night, we must be “girded”, that is, to be perpetually prepared to do our servant’s work; and the
attentive to his coming, no matter how long that lasts (even to the “second” or “third watch”), for
his approach will be as silent and swift and unheralded as that of a thief in the night. (v.39.)
 C. Vv. 41-48: These verses find a parallel in Matthew 24:43-51. Stuhlmueller (JBC
44:111) finds difficulty in determining exactly to Peter's question; is it the banquet “ that is for us,
or for the whole world”. On the other hand, the use of the word "parable" in verse 41, would
seem to make it clear that Peter's question is about parable's application: is it for the whole
church in its members or is it directed to the small group of disciples (cf. 12:2) with whom he is
speaking? The Lord skillfully gets to the heart of Peter's concern without answering his question
directly. The present passage it can be with justice directed to Peter himself, or to any of those
holding office within the apostolic ministry. The Lord indirectly phrases the “ faithful and prudent
servant” but on the master will sets over his household to give them their portion (a Eucharistic
reference.) On the other hand, he warns that such as servant who presume on his Master's
goodness and abuses his position will receive a punishment appropriate to his knowledge of his
Master's affairs. This is in a particular way most appropriate to Peter himself who, in other
Gospel passages, presumes upon the mercy and goodness of God while ignoring his justice
(e.g., Matthew 16: 21-23.) Jesus insists that those leaders of the community, and especially
those to whom he has entrusted great offices and graces, will be held responsible for their use
or abuse in the Eschaton when he returns to order his household in justice.

3. References to the Catechism of the Catholic Church

• Second Reading:
CCC145: The Letter to the Hebrews, in its great eulogy of the faith of Israel's
ancestors, lays special emphasis on Abraham's faith: "By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was
called to go out to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, not
knowing where he was to go." By faith, he lived as a stranger and pilgrim in the promised land.
By faith, Sarah was given to conceive the son of the promise. And by faith, Abraham offered his
only son in sacrifice.
CCC146: Abraham thus fulfills the definition of faith in Hebrews 11:1: "Faith is the
assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen ": the "Abraham believed God,
and it was reckoned unto him as righteousness." Because he was "strong in his faith," Abraham
became the "father of all who believe."
CCC147: The Old Testament is rich in witnesses to this faith. The Letter to the
Hebrews proclaims its eulogy on the exemplary faith of the ancestors who "received divine
approval." Yet "God had foreseen something better for us": the grace of believing in his Son
Jesus, "the pioneer and perfecter of our faith."
CCC2572: The Holy Spirit, whose anointing permeates our whole being, is the interior
Master of Christian prayer. He is the artisan of the living tradition of prayer. To be sure, there
are as many paths of prayer as there are persons who pray, but is the same Spirit acting in all
and with all. It is in the communion of the Holy Spirit that Christian prayer is prayer in the
Church.

• Gospel:
CCC764: "This Kingdom shines out before men in the word, in the works, and in the
presence of Christ." (Lumen Gentium 5). To welcome Jesus’ word is to welcome "the kingdom
itself ." The seed and beginning of the Kingdom are the "little flock " of those whom Jesus came
to gather around him, the flock whose shepherd he is. They form Jesus’ true family. To those
whom he thus gathered around him, he taught a new "way of acting" and a prayer of their own.
CCC1817: Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven
and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ's promises and relying not on our
own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit. "Let us hold fast the confession of
our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful." "The Holy Spirit… he poured out
upon us richly through Jesus Christ, our Saviour, so that we might be justified by his grace and
become heirs in hope of eternal life."
CCC1818: The virtue of hope responds to the aspiration to happiness which God has
placed in the heart of every man; it takes up the hopes that inspire men's activities and purifies
them so as to order them to the Kingdom of heaven; it keeps man from discouragement; it
sustains him during times of abandonment; it opens up his heart in expectation of eternal
beatitude. Buoyed up by hope, he is preserved from selfishness and led to the happiness that
flows from charity.
CCC1819: Christian hope takes up and fulfills the hope of the chosen people which has
its origin and model in the hope of Abraham, who was blessed abundantly by the promises of
God fulfilled in Isaac, and who was purified by the test of the sacrifice. "Hoping against hope, he
believed, and thus became the father of many nations."
CCC2849: Such a battle and such a victory become possible only through prayer. It is
by his prayer that Jesus vanquishes the tempter, both at the outset of his public mission and in
the ultimate struggle of his agony. In this petition to our heavenly Father (“Lead us not into
temptation”) , Christ unites us to his battle and his agony. He urges us to vigilance of the heart
in communion with his own. Vigilance is " custody of the heart," and Jesus prayed for us to the
Father: "Keep them in your name." The Holy Spirit constantly seeks to awaken us to keep
watch. Finally, this petition takes on all its dramatic meaning in relation to the last temptation of
our earthly battle; it asks for final perseverance. "Lo, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is he who
stays awake."

4. Patristic Commentary and Other Authorities

• Second Reading:
St. Cyril of Alexandria: The nature of the Godhead, which is simple and not composite,
is never to be divided into two by the concepts of Father and Son, unless some difference
be pleased to show itself; i mean, of course, the difference conceived not in reference to
essence, but external thereto, by which the underlying prosōpon of each is introduced in
the subsisting and particularized hypostasis, and into the unity of the Godhead, which
unity is bound together by identity of nature. (Treasury of the Holy and ConSubstantial
Trinity, Thesis 32.)
• Gospel:
St. Basil the Great: In one place the Lord declares that "these shall go to eternal
punishment," and in another place he sends some "to the eternal fire prepared for the
Devil and his angels"; and speaks elsewhere on the fire of Gehenna, specifying that it is a
place "where their worm dies not, and the fire is not extinguished"; and even of old and
through the Prophet it was foretold of some that "their worm will not die nor will their fire
be extinguished." Although these and the like declarations are to be found in numerous
places of divinely inspired Scripture, it is one of the artifices of the Devil, that many men,
as if forgetting these and other such statements and utterances of the Lord, ascribe an
end to punishment, so that they can sin the more boldly. If, however, there were going to
be an end of eternal punishment, there would likewise be an end to eternal life. If we
cannot conceive of an end to that life, how are we to suppose that there will be an end to
eternal punishment? The qualification of "eternal" is ascribed equally to both of them.
"For these are going," he says, "into eternal punishment; the just, however, into eternal
life." If we profess these things we must recognize that the "he shall be flogged with
many stripes" and that “he shall be flogged with few stripes" refer not to an end but to a
distinction of punishment. (Rules Briefly Treated, 267. )
St. Augustine of Hippo: Indeed, the more superior is a rational nature, so much worse
is its ruin; and the more unbelievable is its sin, so much more damnable it is. The angel,
therefore, fell irreparably, because more is demanded of him to whom more is given …
Adam, the first man, was of such an excellent nature, because that nature was not yet
weakened, that his sin was much greater by far than are the sins of other man. Therefore
his punishment too, which was the immediate consequence of his sin, seemed much
more severe. It had been in Adam’s power not to die; but now he was immediately bound
by the necessity of dying, and he was immediately sent away from the place of such great
happiness; and he was immediately barred from access to the tree of life. But when this
was done, the human race was still in his loins…. Thus all the Sons of Adam were
infected through him with the contagion of sin and were subjected to the state of death.
(The Unfinished Work against Julian's Second Reply, 6,22.)
St. Thomas Aquinas: (S.T., II-II, Q. 19, A. 2, R.D.) Accordingly if a man turn to God
and adhere to him, through fear of punishment, it will be servile fear; but it be an account
of fear of committing a fault, it will be filial fear, for it comes a child to fear offending its
father. If however it be on account of both, it will be initial fear, which is between both
these fears. As to wether it is possible to fear the evil of fault, the question has been
treated above (I-II, Q. 42, A.3.) (…
St. Thomas Aquinas: (S.T., II-II, Q. 19, A. 2, ad 3.) The relation of servant to master is
based on the power which the master exercises over the servant; whereas, on the
contrary, the relationship of a son to his father or of a her wife to her husband is based on
the son’s affection towards his father, to whom he submits himself, or on the wife's
affection toward her husband to whom she binds herself in the union of love. Hence filial
and chaste fear amount to the same, because by the love of charity God becomes our
Father, according to Romans*:15, You have received the spirit of adoption of sons, I
would buy we cry, Abba (father); and by the same Charity, he is called our spouse and
according to 2 Corinthians 11:2, I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present
you as a chaste burgeon to Christ: whereas servile fear has no connection with these
since it does not include Charity in its definition.
The Venerable Bede: Whether then it should be simply understood, that money kept
fails, that money given away to our neighbor bears everlasting fruit in heaven; or, that the
treasure of good works, if it be stored up for the sake of earthly advantage, is soon
corrupted and perishes; but if it be laid up solely from heavenly motives, neither outwardly
 by the favor of men, - as by the thief which steals from without, or inwardly by vain glory,
-as by the month, which devours within, can it be defiled.
The Venerable Bede: Observe that is counted among the vices of the bad servant that
he thought the coming of his Lord slow, yet it is not numbered among the virtues of the
good that he hoped it would come quickly, but only that he ministered faithfully. There is
nothing than better than to submit patiently to be ignorant of that which cannot be
unknown, but to strive only that we be found worthy.
St. Gregory the Great : For he comes when he hastens to judgment, but he knocks
when already by the pain of sickness he denotes the death is at hand; to whom we
immediately open, if we receive him with love. For he who trembles to depart from the
body, has no wish to open to the Judge knocking, and dreads to see that Judge, whom he
remembers to have despised. But he who rests secure concerning his hope and works,
immediately opens to him that knocks; for when he is aware of the time of death drawing
near, he grows joyful, because of the glory of his reward; and hands it is added, Blessed
are the servants whom the Lord when he comes shall find watching. He watches, who
keeps the eye of his mind open to behold the true light; who by his works maintains that
which he beholds, who drives from himself the darkness of sloth and carelessness.
(Homilia 13 in Ev.)
St. Gregory the Great: … Unknown to the master the thief breaks into the house,
because while the spirit sleeps instead of guarding itself, death comes unexpectedly and
breaks into the dwelling place of our flesh. But he would resist the thief if he were
watching, because being on his guard against the coming of the Judge, who secretly
seizes his soul he would by repentance go to meet him, lest they should perish
impenitent. That the last hour our Lord wishes to be unknown to us, in order as we
cannot foresee it, we may be unceasingly preparing for it.

5. Examples from the Saints and Other Exemplars

St. John Cassian ( On correctly interpreting the Holy Scriptures): … If certain other things were
not made digestible through an allegorical interpretation and made tender by a probing spiritual
fire they would in no way become healthful food for the inner man without a degree of corruption,
and in eating them they would be more harm than good, as in this example, "Let your loins be
girt and your lamps burning." And: "Who ever does not have a sword should sell his tunic and
by himself a sword." And: "Whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is unworthy of
me." Some of the strictest monks, having indeed " a zeal for God, but not according to
knowledge" understood this literally. They made themselves wooden crosses and carried them
constantly on their shoulders, evoking not edification, but rather derision in all who saw them.
(Conferences, 8,3,4-5.)

St. John Cassian: Concerning this fear and love the Lord reproves some and shows them what
is appropriate to each person: "A son honors his father and a slave fears his master. But if I am
a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear?" For a slave must fear,
because "if he knows the will of his master and does what is worthy of stripes, he shall be badly
beaten." And so, who ever attained by way of this love to the image and likeness of God, will
take delight in the good because of pleasure in the good itself. (Conferences, 11,9, 1-2.)

6. Quotations from Pope Benedict XVI

Just as Abraham's faith was the beginning of the Old Covenant, Mary's faith, enacted in the
scene of the Annunciation is the inauguration of the New. For Mary as for Abraham, faith is trust
in, and obedience to, God, even when he leads her through darkness. It is a letting go, a
releasing, a handing over of oneself to the truth, to God. Faith, in the luminous darkness of
God's inscrutable ways, is thus, a conformation to him. …. The cruciformity of faith, which
Abraham had to experience in such a radical way, becomes evident for Mary, first in her meeting
with the age Simeon, then, in the new way, in her losing, and finding again, the twelve- year-old
Jesus in the Temple. (Mary, the Church at the Source,pp.49-50.)

Psalm 110(111) is sealed at the end by the contemplation of the divine countenance, of the
Lord's person, expressed through his holy and transcendent "name." Then, quoting a sapiential
saying (see Proverbs 1:7;9:10;15:33), the Psalmist invites the faithful to cultivate "fear of the
Lord" (Psalm 110[111]:10), the beginning of wisdom. Fear and terror are not concealed under
this term, but earnest and sincere respect, which is the fruit of love, genuine and active
adherence to the liberating God. And, if the first word of the song was thanksgiving, the last is
praise: As the saving righteousness of the Lord "endures forever" (verse 3), so the gratitude of
the Psalmist is incessant, it resounds in prayer "forever" (verse 10). ("The First Stage of
Wisdom", General Audience of Benedict XVI, Vatican City, June 8, 2005.

Nations must learn to "read" in history a message of God. Humanity's history is not confused
and without meaning, nor is it given over, without appeal, to the malfeasance of the arrogant and
perverse. There is the possibility to recognize divine action hidden in it. In the pastoral
constitution "Gaudium et Spes," Vatican Council II also invites the believer to scrutinize, in the
light of the Gospel, the signs of the times to see in them the manifestation of the very action of
God (cf. n. 4 and 11). This attitude of faith leads man to recognize the power of God operating in
history, and thus to open himself to fear of the name of the Lord. In biblical language, in fact, this
"fear" does not coincide with dread, but is the recognition of the mystery of the divine
transcendence. Because of this, it is the basis of faith and is joined with love: "the Lord your God
requires of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the
Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul" (cf. Deuteronomy 10:12). ( Thanks to
Fear of the Lord, There Is No Fear of Evil", General Audience of Benedict XVI, Vatican City, May
11, 2005

7. Other Considerations

The different readings emphasize different qualities and dynamics in the virtue of hope. If the
Gospel emphasizes the duty to keep Christ in constant mind, and to watch for his advent with
vigilance as his faithful servant, if only for one's own self-interest in avoiding the punishment that
spiritual sloth, laziness, and faithlessness demand, the first and second emphasize that filial
fear, which is not count the blessings it receives for God so much as looks forward to that life in
union with him in the heavenly Jerusalem he has promised us shall be our home. Filial fear, the
gift of the Holy Spirit, which eventually casts out the selfishness and self-interest of servile fear,
is modeled upon Jesus’ own love for his heavenly Father, which is characterized not by fear of
punishment, but by the delicate fear to offend in the smallest way against the Father's sweet will.
This is the love of sons, not servants. No one who lives the life of the Son need fear . the
punishment of a just master; in such a one fear is cast out, and the love which marks the life of
Father and Son in glory transforms the soul of the faithful servant, and casts out all his fear.

Recommended Resources

Brown, Raymond E., S.S., Fitzmeyer, Joseph, S.J., and Murphy, Roland E., O. Carm. The
Jerome Biblical Commentary. Two Vols. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc.,
1968.

John Cassian. The Conferences. Trans. and annotated by Boniface Ramsey, O.P., Ancient
Christian Writers Series No. 57. Walter J.Burghart, John Dillon, and Dennis D. McManus, Eds.
New York, N.Y. and Mahwah , N.J.: Newman Press, 1997.

Jurgens, William A. The Faith of the Early Fathers. 3 Vols. Collegeville, Minnesota: The
Liturgical Press, 1979.

Thomas Aquinas, St. Catena Aurea: Commentary on the Four Gospels Collected out of the
Works of the Fathers.. Albany, N.Y.: Preserving Christian Publications, Inc., 2001.

Thomas Aquinas, St. Summa Theologica. 3 Vols. Literally translated by the Fathers of the
English Dominican Province. New York, Boston, Cincinnati, Chicago, and San Francisco:
Benzinger Brothers, Inc., 1947.

Cameron, Peter John, O.P., ed. Benedictus: Day by Day with Pope Benedict XVI. Yonkers, NY:
Magnificat/Ignatius Press, 2006.