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.
Psalm 33:1, 12, 18-19, 20-22
R. (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.
R. 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.
R. 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.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
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.
Matthew 24;42a, 44
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Stay awake and be ready!
For you do not know on what day your Lord will come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
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.”
Wisdom 18:6-9
The Book of Wisdom, sometimes referred to as The Wisdom of Solomon, was composed approxi-mately 100 years before Christ. It is believed to have originated from Alexandria one of the larg-est Jewish communities formed out of the diaspora. Most scholars agree that the original lan-guage of composition was Greek. The author was a Jewish teacher living in a Greek speaking area who had an in depth understanding of Hebrew Scripture. The book gives us additional in-sight into the deeper meaning of Hebrew words and truths as articulated in the Greek language. A particular example is the word that we translate as being in English. The Greek word is eimi and it means to be, to exist, or being. The word, as used in Hebrews 11:6, means to exist without contingency. This is significant in that God reveals Himself as “I Am who Am,” (Hebrew ehyeh aser ehyeh), the One whose nature is to be, i.e. being itself and therefore existing without contin-gency.
In verse 1:14 God is assuring us that He wants to share His life with us, “For He fashioned all things that they might have being.” Jesus, in words captured by St. John the beloved disciple, further states this in the famous passage John 3:16, “For God so love the world that He gave his only Son, so that those who believe in Him might not perish but might have eternal life.” Wis-dom states in verse 2:23, “For God formed man to be imperishable; the image of His own nature he made him.” Being, to be, eternal life, imperishable, are all terms that describe God’s nature, a nature that He desires to share with us. In the creation story of Genesis God clearly reveals that He is the source of our being, “The Lord God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being (nepes/psyche/soul).” (Gn 2:7).
Our pericope is taken from a section that is titled Fifth Example (Diptych): Death of the Egyptian First-born; the Israelites are spared. Our selected passage is introduced in the immediately pre-ceding verse: “When they determined to put to death the infants of the holy ones, and when a sin-gle boy had been cast forth but saved, as a reproof you carried off their multitude of sons and make them perish all at once in the mighty water.” (Wis 18: 5). Wisdom is referring to the com-mand of Pharaoh to destroy all Hebrew sons: Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, “Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live.” (Ex 1: 16). In response, by the powerful hand of God, the firstborn of the Egyptians were struck down in the final plague, and later the Egyptians who were pursuing the Israelites drowned in the Red Sea. God thus reverses the ill will of the wicked and saves His chosen people. Wisdom uses the events of salvation history as an example or paradigm for eschatological salvation.
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. The oaths that Wisdom is recalling is the promises of Yahweh. “I am the Lord. I will free you from the forced labor of the Egyptians and will deliver you from slavery. I will rescue you by My outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgement. I will take you as My own people, and you will have Me as your God. You will know that I, the Lord, am your God when I free you from the labor of the Egyptians and bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Ja-cob.” (Ex 6: 6-8). The salient point is that the promises of God have been fulfilled, and we should take courage in the knowledge that we are God’s chosen people and that He will de-liver us from the slavery of sin and death.
Psalm 33:1, 12, 18-19, 20-22
Psalm 33 is titled Praise of God’s Power and Providence in the New American Bible. The Eng-lish Standard Version titles Psalm 33 The Steadfast Love of God. It consists of 22 verses. It is full of rejoicing and of thanksgiving. The song praises God for His mighty power as creator of all. It portrays God as an all-seeing God who looks down upon us from His heavenly vantage point. It recognizes the insignificance of human life without God. Psalm 33 concludes with verse 22: “Let Your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in You.”
The psalm celebrates the mercy and kindness of God for those who hope and trust in Him. It is God alone who must be the object of human trust. God alone is the Savior.
Psalm 33 is a hymn celebrating our Creator God, our Savior God, and our Loving God. The Trinity is praised throughout, most directly in verse 6: “By the Lord’s (Father) Word (Son) the heavens were made, by the breath of His mouth (Ruah – Holy Spirit) all their host.” Psalm 33 begins with rejoicing, praise, and thanksgiving for our Creator, Savior, and Loving God (Ps 33:1-2). God has chosen this particular people to be His very own, to be in relationship with Him.
Exult, you just, in the LORD; praise from the upright is fitting. Those who are in right rela-tionship with God, i.e., the just, are called to exult and give praise to God. Right praise does not come from the unrepentant sinner. “Unseemly is praise on a sinner’s lips, for it is not accorded him by God.” (Sir 15: 9).
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he has chosen for his own inher-itance. The Hebrew word translated as God in this verse is Elohim, and the word for Lord is Yahweh. Similar to the message of our pericope from Wisdom we are called to rejoice in the fact that God is choosing us. “For you are a people sacred to the Lord, your God; He has chosen you from all the nations on the face of the earth to be a people peculiarly to be His own.” (Deut 7: 6).
See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him, upon those who hope for his kind-ness, to deliver them from death and preserve them in spite of famine. Scripture assures us that the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, e.g., “The Lord has eyes for the just and ears for their cry.” (Ps 34: 16). “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears turned to-ward their prayer.” (1 Pt 3: 12). The Hebrew word translated as fear in this verse is yirah. As mentioned in previous exegesis, when this word is used vis-à-vis God, it connotes more of sense of awe and reverence as opposed to craven fear. It is a proper understanding of creatureliness in relation to creator. It is an understanding of our total dependence on God. The Hebrew word for kindness here is hesed which is often translated as steadfast love. The Hebrew word that is translated in this verse as them is actually nepes. The more literal translation would be: That He may deliver their soul from death.
Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19
In the New American Bible, Chapter 11 of Hebrews is titled Faith of the Ancients. It is an inspiring portrayal of faith throughout salvation history through the stories and events of the Old Testament. Earlier in Hebrews the author introduces the purpose of recounting these remarkable stories of faith. “We earnestly desire each of you to demonstrate the same eager-ness for the fulfillment of hope until the end, so that you may not become sluggish, but imi-tators of those who, through faith and patience, are inheriting the promises.” (Heb 6: 11-12).
The content of Chapter 11 is developed chronologically, beginning with creation. The chap-ter covers OT events from the time before the flood and extending to the time of the Macca-bean martyrs, approximately 150 years before Christ. Our pericope begins with an introduc-tion and then covers the era of the patriarchs. The focus is on Abraham, often referred to as our Father in Faith.
Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen. The intro-duction gives us a beautiful definition of faith that has drawn the attention of scholars for centuries. The Greek word translated as faith in this verse is pistis. As the word pistis is woven through the NT its definition gains clarity. It becomes more than a system of beliefs or a creed that is recited. It is both gift (theological virtue) and response to gift. It takes on deeper meaning as the indwelling of divine life in the human soul. Faith is the sharing of life in the soul where gift and response meet.
The word that is translated as realization in verse one is hypostasis in the original Greek. Hypostasis is rendered as assurance in many translations. The word that is translated as evi-dence in verse one is elenchos. Elenchos is often translated as conviction. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary expounds on the scholarly discussion of this verse as follows:
The meaning of the two Gk words hypostasis and elenchos is much disputed. While many commentators take hypostasis as “assurance” and elenchos as “conviction,” H. Koester thinks that neither of those “subjective” meanings in correct, and that the words mean respectively, “reality” and objective “demonstration” (cf. “Hypostasis,” TDNT 8. 572-89). Faith (pistis), then, is here said to be “the reality” of the goods hoped for, the “proof” of things one cannot see, the later being the heavenly world, the former, those of that world. J. A. Fitzmyer is inclined to agree: That hypostasis means “reality” (or “substance”) in at least Heb 1: 3 is clear.
Perhaps the clue to the meaning of hypostasis lies in the beginning of Hebrews which begins as follows: “In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, He spoke to us through a Son, whom He made heir of all things and through whom He created the universe, who is the refulgence of His glory, the very imprint of His being (hypostasis) and who sustains all things by His mighty word.” (Heb 1: 1-3). Here it refers to the substance of divine being, invisible as it may be, made visible in Jesus, the Word made flesh, one in being with the Father.
St. Thomas Aquinas offers a beautiful commentary on Hebrews 10: 1-3: “Faith is distinct from all other acts of the intellect. It is defined as assurance, which distinguishes it from opinion, suspicion, and doubt; it adheres to things not seen, which distinguishes it from sci-ence, whose object is something apparent; and it is directed toward things hoped for, by which the virtue of faith is distinguished from popular notions of faith, which have no refer-ence to the beatitude we hope to obtain.”1
Abram was one who had a personal relationship with the Lord, such that he would listen and follow His commands as difficult as they may seem. “The Lord said to Abram: ‘Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you.’” (Gen 12: 1). “Abram went as the Lord directed him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.” (Gen 12: 4). Abram, without being able to see the future, gathered his entire family and began a journey with no clear destination in sight. God was with him on the journey and delivered him and made of him a great nation. He is our father in faith.
Luke 12:32-48
“Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.” The Greek word for afraid (fear) in this verse is phobeo which always means craven fear, as it means extreme fear as in being terrified. The endearing expres-sion little flock calls to mind Is 40: 11: “Like a shepherd He feeds His flock; in His arms He gathers the lambs.” (Is 40: 11). The assurance of God’s guidance for His people is conveyed through the words of the Prophet Ezekiel: “For thus says the Lord God: I myself will look after and tend my sheep.” (Ez 34: 1). Of course, that promise comes to fruition in Jesus, the Good Shepherd.
The apostles were recently taught to pray for the coming of the kingdom. Now Jesus assures them that it is the Father’s will, the Father’s pleasure to give the kingdom to those who desire and seek the kingdom. “Instead, seek His kingdom and these things will be given to you.” (Lk 12: 31).
Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy. The money bag that does not wear out, or grow old in the literal translation, refers to the eternal soul. The inexhaustible treas-ure that we store in our soul is love, the Spirit of the living God.
For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be. The Greek word for heart is kardia which connotes the inner self, our deepest feelings and passions. What do we desire most in this life? What passions are leading and guiding our life?
“Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s re-turn from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. The expres-sion gird your loins reminds us of the original Passover meal: “This is how you are to eat: with your loins girt, sandals on your feet and your staff in hand, you shall eat like those in flight.” (Gen 12: 11). To gird one’s loins is to cincture the tunic to free the legs and feet for movement. The Greek word translated as await here is prosdechomai. Prosdechomai does not connote a passive waiting. It means to accept, to receive favorably, to receive hospitably or to look forward to. It is anything but passive. It is a time of preparation for a future event. The expression light your lamps also speaks of readiness, as in the parable of the wise and foolish virgins.
Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. The Greek word translated as blessed here is makarios. This is the 11th time that makarios appears in Luke’s Gospel. It appears again in verse 43. The word appears in Revelation to speak of a state of being prepared to meet the Lord. “On the great day of God the Al-mighty. Behold I am coming like a thief. Blessed (makarios) is the one who watches and keeps his clothes ready.” (Rev 16: 14-15). Makarios is used by Jesus in the Beati-tudes. It speaks of a state of being that only comes from God. It describes a state of joy and bliss that is beyond this world. The Greek Philosopher Aristotle used this word to describe a state of being that comes from dying to self in self-giving love.
The message of the parable is clear that we are stewards of God’s creation. We are an-swerable to the Master and to our fellow servants. The question is not whether the Mas-ter is returning, it is when the master is returning. Our actions in the here and now have consequences that are eternal.
Although the parable of Jesus is obviously eschatological in nature, our preparedness to welcome and receive Him in the present moment is also salient here. Jesus is always standing at the door of our hearts and knocking. He desires a deep personal relationship with each one of us, His little flock. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, then I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with Me.” (Rev 3: 20).
There is an old fable that I once heard. Three young demons are meeting with Satan as they are about to make their first journey to earth. They are full of energy to inflict evil on the world. The first young demon is telling Satan his plans. He said, “I am going to tell them that there is no God.” Satan responded by saying that that does not work well, because people can see God in His creation. The second demon says, “I will tell them that there is to devil and not to worry.” Satan responded by saying that that does not work either because they can see evil and darkness in the world. The third demon said, “I will tell them that there is no hurry.” Satan responded, “That’s it. You will ruin souls by the millions!”
Our readings again this weekend call us to be vigilant and ready to meet Jesus at His coming. His coming could be at any moment or the moment of our death, whichever comes first. It is not a question of “if”. It is a question of “when”. Jesus reminds us to be as vigi-lant servants awaiting their master’s return. Each one of us is called to live our lives pre-pared at any moment to meet Jesus face to face.
All too often people say, “Someday I will take my faith, my personal relationship with Jesus, more seriously.” As a priest I meet people at various stages and levels of faith. A common trend that I have seen is people who at retirement make a new effort to take their faith more seriously, and that is a wonderful thing to see. Invariably, however, they tell me that they wish that they had done so sooner. They discover a deeper and richer life that was always there, always available to them, yet they chose to keep God on hold all of those years. They now live a richer life, but with feelings of regret as well.
A prominent sociologist, when talking about our current culture recently said. “We are like a people on a journey who have forgotten where we are going.” I too see that in our so-ciety today. I see a lot of people living without direction in their lives. Many are going through the motions of life, sort of existing and not really living. Only in God can we find real meaning and purpose, fulfillment and direction.
The personal relationship that God is calling us to is not just some distant hope for a new heaven and new earth. God is calling us to a deep personal relationship here and now! God lives in the present, in the eternal now. Time is for us here on earth. It is a wonderful gift that we should use wisely to build treasure that will endure forever, a treasure of love and friendship that lasts forever. The time is now, not tomorrow!
Yours in Christ,
As I have shared many times I came back to my faith in my early thirties. At the age of forty-two I entered the seminary and was ordained five years later. During the ten years leading up to seminary I was very active in parish life, including teaching faith formation at various levels and doing youth ministry. I was blessed to have many incredible men and women of faith walking with me on this journey.
One of those dear friends was an elderly retired policeman who was a great husband and father to a large family. He was a highly decorated WWII veteran as well. He was a fishing and hunting companion and a person who was perhaps the most influential in my own faith journey. He was the man who encouraged (dragged) me to the Cursillo Retreat that provided the environment for a profound religious experience that changed my life forever. My friend attended the same retreat experience several years prior. It changed his life as well and brought him to a deeper level of faith. He started this new life in his late sixties after retir-ing.
My friend was on fire for Jesus. He was one of the best evangelizers that I have ever known. He was living the Gospel, and it was visible. He was full of life and full of joy. He was fully alive in Christ. The words of St. Francis of Assisi come to mind when I think of him: “Preach the Gospel always and when necessary, use words.”
I frequently invited him to deliver talks at retreats and youth events. His story of faith and conversion provided a very powerful witness. He was a devout husband and father. He participated in his Catholic faith regularly with his family throughout his life. He described his faith as very mechanical, however. He said that he was going through the motions for many years. He shared openly that his life was forever changed by his experiences in the war. He felt that he was unworthy of God’s love. In his words, “I felt that God could never love me after what I have done.”
He was drawn to the Sacrament of Reconciliation at the Cursillo weekend. He had not been to confession in over forty years. At that moment he was able to unburden himself of the years of guilt that he was carrying. Hearing the words of absolution, I absolve you of your sins, he said that he felt the embrace of God’s love as he had never experienced before. He said that he literally felt the warmth of God’s presence and love. He experienced his sins being washed away as in a torrent of flood waters that left him pure and innocent before God. It was as if the warm blood and water flowing from the side of Christ on the Cross was washing over him. His life would be changed forever by the grace of God.
My friend told his story openly on many occasions and I was privileged to witness most of his talks. Every time he told his story he would break down in tears reliving the experience of his conversion. A deep pain was evident when he talked about all the years of joy and peace that he had missed being away from the Lord. He begged everyone, especially the youth, to allow themselves to be loved by God. Now! His repeated begged everyone, “Please don’t wait until you are old like me! You can never get those years back!”
My friend passed unexpectedly in his sleep in his late eighties. I can only imagine the peace and joy that he is now experiencing. I am forever grateful for his influence in my life and the lives of so many others. He was a good and faithful steward and I trust that he is now enjoying the heavenly banquet.
