Vigilant and Faithful Servants

Readings for Tuesday October 19, 2010

Memorial of Saint John de Brébeuf and Saint Isaac Jogues, priests and martyrs, and their companions

First Reading: Ephesians 2:12-22
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 85
Gospel: Luke 12:35-38

Jesus said to his disciples: “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.”

As a young boy one of my favorite things to play with was legos. Oh man ... the things that I would create; castles, forests, cameras, houses, etc. You name, I probably tried to make it. There were so many times my parents came in to check on me only to find me working so diligently on my project. I think that this idea of creating something from our imagination is something that tends to capture us all. We all have things that we like to "build." For one person it may be building a bookshelf, for another it may be building a stronger family. It seems as though we are always building.

Saint Paul tells us today that: "So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus as the capstone. Through Him the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord; in Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit." It seems as though even in our faith lives we should be trying to grow and build ourselves into the faithful children of God that we are all called to be. Praise Jesus for being our rock and our salvation!

At the end, what will God find you doing? Building, while being the vigilant and faithful servant that Christ talks about in today's gospel? Jesus tells us that those who are vigilant and faithful servants will be blessed. May God grant us the strength to persevere in our faith journey ... vigilant and always building.

Father above, we thank you for the gift of this day. Lord, increase our faith so that we might go out and serve you better, as you plan for us. Lord, help us to continue to surrender to you so that we might be built into the temples that you created us to be, so that your Spirit will dwell in us. Lord we pray for all those suffering, may they be brought ever closer to you through their experiences. We ask this all through Christ our Lord. Amen.