Thursday, August 27, 2026

 

Memorial of Saint Monica

(I Corinthians 1:1-9; Matthew 24:42-51

“’Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing (his duty),’” Jesus tells his disciples in today’s gospel. He is describing how they should live until his return in glory.  Faithful disciples keep their baptismal promises.  That is, each one in his or her own way becomes priest, prophet, and king in the world.

In his autobiography, Saint Augustine writes of his mother, Saint Monica, as a worthy disciple.  She fulfilled her duty to God and family by encouraging both her sons to live
Christian lives.  This went far beyond telling them to do the right thing.  It included constant prayer and bringing them resources to facilitate practice of the faith.

St. Monica has become one of the more popular saints because of the great number of Catholics who have left the Church.  Their parents are often praying, like St. Monica, that they return to the sacraments.  It is a considerable objective because our society world has largely lost religious sensibility. People consider success having a high-paying job, being well considered in the community, and enjoying parties and pastimes.  God will not disappoint petitioners, but in regard to sons and daughters who no longer consider faith important, the prayer must be assiduous. 

 Thursday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

 (I Thessalonians 3:7-13; Matthew 24:42-51)

 We think of the “good thief” as the bandit who was crucified with Christ and asked his help.  But the gospels relate another “good thief” who more authentically deserves the distinction.  He is Jesus who alludes to himself as a thief in today’s passage. 

Jesus’ extravagant use of parables allows the appellation to make a point.  Like a thief in the night Jesus will come to his people at an unexpected time.  They, therefore, must stay prepared for his coming.  This does not mean that they stand around anxiously like those waiting for a delayed bus or even that they polish the candlesticks.  No, being alert or “staying awake” means that that they look for Jesus in the needy.

Who are the needy and how might we help them?  Many live in the parts of town where we seldom find ourselves.  But they are really everywhere.  They are the lonely whom we might engage for a few minutes in conversation.  They are friends deluged with work to whom we might offer a hand for half an hour.  They are the sick, the uneducated, and the aged whom we might spend a few hours a week visiting in hospital, schools, or nursing homes.

Thursday, August 27, 2020

 

Memorial of Saint Monica

(I Corinthians 1:1-9; Matthew 24:42-51)

For a long time St. Monica lived with the hope of her son Augustine converting to the Catholic faith.  She prayed and encouraged him to do so.  Perhaps she found some reason to believe that he would in his deference for her.  But he also had a mistress and a son.  Furthermore, gifted intellectually, Augustine was aware of philosophical trends which seldom move in the direction of faith. Eventually, of course, Monica’s hope was realized.  Augustine not only became a Christian but also one of the Church’s greatest theologians. Monica’s hope should inspire our own for the coming of Christ.  Gospel hope lies behind today’s gospel.

The gospel is taken from Matthew’s gospel’s final discourse.  The long passage treats the hoped-for events to take place at the end time.  Today’s section admonishes Jesus’ disciples to practice justice and temperance in the interim.  They are to distribute food and beverage fairly, never overindulging in them personally.

We are still in the interim -- after almost 2000 years!  It is frustrating at times, and some wonder if Jesus will return as he promised.  Yet there are signs, not of an imminent return but of Jesus’ abiding presence.  Jesus clearly promised this presence as well in Matthew’s gospel.  We hope that the wait will give opportunity for all to convert to his ways.  As we hope, we also pray that our faith never wanes but grow into greater love for others.

Thursday, August 30, 2018

Thursday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

(I Corinthians 1:1-9; Matthew 24:42-51)

A year before he was murdered, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., delivered a famous speech about work.  He preached that each of us in her or his occupation should do the best job possible.  Knowing that many of the people listening to him had relatively simple jobs, he focused on street sweepers.  “If a man is called to be a street sweeper,” King said, “he should sweep streets even as a Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry.”  In today’s gospel Jesus calls his disciples to work with the same kind of diligence.

The passage comprises the middle section of Jesus’ “eschatological discourse” in Matthew’s gospel.  The Lord is teaching his disciples how to consider the end of time when he will come in glory.   Ironically he says that one prepares for his coming by not preparing.  Since the end will come when it is least expected, disciples must always be ready for it.  They are to assiduously fulfill their daily responsibilities.  Jesus uses a butler as his prime example.  As a worthy butler will dispense food rations equitably so must disciples perform their duties prudently.   As the responsible butler will be made chief steward, faithful disciples will find secure places in the Kingdom.

For many of us a new year is beginning at this time when summer is ending.  It is time to rededicate ourselves to our task – be it school work or waiting tables.  We do it for the Lord as much as for ourselves or for the common good.  We want people to say, “There goes a true Christian,” if they should see us at work.

Thursday, August 31, 2017

Thursday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

(I Thessalonians 3:7-13; Matthew 24:42-51)

We think of the “good thief” as the bandit who was crucified with Christ and asked his help.  But the gospels present another “good thief” who more authentically deserves the name.  He is the thief Jesus mentions in today’s passage.  Actually, he is Jesus himself.

Jesus’ extravagant use of parables allows him to call himself a “thief” to make a point.  Like a thief he will return to his people at an unexpected time.  They, therefore, have to prepare themselves for his coming by being constantly alert.  This does not mean that they stand around or even that they polish the candlesticks.  No, being alert or “staying awake” means that that they look for Jesus in the needy.

Who are the needy and how might we help them?  Many live in the parts of town where we seldom find ourselves.  But they are really everywhere.  They are the lonely whom we might engage for a few minutes in conversation.  They are friends deluged with work to whom we might offer a hand for half an hour.  They are the sick, the uneducated, and the aged whom we might spend a few hours a week visiting in hospital, schools, or nursing homes.

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Thursday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

(I Corinthians 1:1-9; Matthew 24:42-51)

 “The Ballad of Father Gilligan” by poet Y.B. Yeats tells the story of a faithful country curate.  The priest has grown weary from anointing many parishioners before they die.  When he is called late at night to anoint yet another, he prays a moment before leaving and falls into a slumber.  Awakening in the morning, he rushes to the dying man’s house to discover that he is too late.  The man’s widow then tells the priest that her husband died happy to have been visited by the priest.  Evidently, God had taken pity on the curate by sending an angel in his place to anoint the dying man.  The priest can be compared to the faithful and prudent servant that Jesus mentions in today’s gospel. 

The passage applies especially to Church leaders.  Put in charge of God’s household, they are expected to serve faithfully and well.  If they carry out their duties, they will receive a blessing.  If they are negligent or abusive, however, they will be punished very severely.

The parable also applies to parents who head families and, indeed, to all of us with responsibility for others.  Christ demands that we faithfully discharge our duties.  Failing to do so will result in disaster.  Caring for those in our charge, on the other hand, will find us in God’s favor.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Thursday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

(I Corinthians 1:1-9; Matthew 24:42-51)

All Christians enjoy the story of the so-called good thief. He is the one of the two men crucified along with Jesus. In the twelfth century this man acquired a name, Dismas, which means death or sunset. The Gospel According to Luke is the only one of the four which mentions the conversation of Dismas with Jesus. Interestingly, Luke never calls him a thief. Rather Luke calls him a “criminal” by which he means revolutionary. It has been speculated that the only valid reason that he may be called a thief is that he stole heaven. Without following Jesus, he is awarded a place at Jesus’ side in Paradise.

Jesus himself may be more properly labeled the “good thief.” In the gospel parable today Jesus compares himself to a thief coming in the night. He means that he will come at the moment when we least expect him to reward his faithful followers with everlasting life.

We can also think of Jesus as a thief in the sense that he steals our souls from the clutches of sin and death. Each of us is inclined to excess in relation to created goods. Whether it be food, drink, or sex we usually want more than is good for us. Jesus’ example and, more importantly, the grace from his death and resurrection enable us to overcome these tendencies. If we move with his divine grace, we too will find a place at his side in Paradise.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Thursday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

(I Thessalonians 3:7-13; Matthew 24:42-51)

The Greek New Testament word diakonia means service. It has been translated into Latin as ministerium from which is derived the English word ministry. Of course, ministry is recognized as a form of service, but for a long time the Catholic Church considered it exclusively the service rendered by the ordained. Only recently, and still not completely, has the term been acknowledged as legitimate for the services lay people render in the Church.

Today’s gospel may be interpreted as supporting this point of view. Although the Greek does not use diakonia for the servant’s work, Jesus indicates that his disciples should await his return by caring for household needs. Since he is referring to the Church, he is saying that every member should contribute to her welfare.

All Catholics will not build up the Church in the same way. Many laypersons, doing their jobs efficiently, honestly, and benevolently, are reordering world affairs according to the norms of justice. This is not strictly secular work. Done with the right motivation, it fulfills in part the Church’s mission and has been termed the “ministry of the laity.” Others will expend their creative effort back in the parish teaching religion or working with the evangelization program. They perform a more recognized but not necessarily more important ministry.