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Vocation Meditation -
August 8, 2010
"Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves."
"But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour."
Peter said, "Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for everyone?" And the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and prudent manager whom his master will put in charge of his slaves to give them their allowance of food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives. Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions. But if that slave says to himself, 'My master is delayed in coming,' and if he begins to beat the other slaves, men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and put him with the unfaithful."
"That slave who knew what this master wanted, but did not prepare himself or do what was wanted, will receive a severe beating. From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded."
St. Luke wanted to exhort his Christian community to get ready for the second coming of Jesus. In a wider sense, he wanted each follower of Christ to heed God's summons: to prepare to meet God when he calls them to Him. How then would God want to find us?
God wants to find us with our work completed. We live and work each day with things done and things half-done. With many loose ends to tie, we struggle to make things work. Let us always be women and men with a sense of a task that must be finished well, as disciples accountable to the Master of life.
God wants to find us at peace with one another. Loving others is a test to attain inner peace. Because we are at peace with all, our joy will be full in the dwelling place God has prepared for His own.
God wants to find us at peace with Him. After all, we are not going to end in a stranger's house or the enemy's. We are going to fall asleep in the arms of our loving God!
Jesus warned us here not to make the two mistakes made by the trusted steward in the parable.
The steward said: "I will do what I like while my master is away." We have divided life into compartments-one part secular, one part sacred. God's summons is in the 'now'! We are working and living forever under the gaze of a loving Master.
He said: 'I have plenty of time to put things right before the master comes.' Time is a gift. We must use it to the full before we are caught unprepared. The word 'tomorrow' can steal the wisdom of the present moment.
Vocation Challenge:
"Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit."
What oil(s) do I provide my lamp with to keep it lit for the Master's coming?
Dear God,
Your summon to love is a forever 'now'. Distractions, worries, and selfishness often catch me 'off-center'. Then, my lamp oil runs low. Let my vocation journey be focused at preparing for Your coming. I want to keep my lamp lit by day and by night. Amen.
For the full Gospel reading for this Sunday, visit the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops site.