Gospel: Matthew 24:42-51
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this:
if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.
“Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant,
whom the master has put in charge of his household
to distribute to them their food at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so.
Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property.
But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is long delayed,’
and begins to beat his fellow servants,
and eat and drink with drunkards,
the servant’s master will come on an unexpected day
and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely
and assign him a place with the hypocrites,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
The Mass intention is for Bridget Patten RIP.
Reflection:
“Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household to distribute to them their food at the proper time?”, the Lord asks in today’s Gospel. One person that pops into my mind is St Monica whose memory we celebrate today. St Monica was married to Patricius, a Roman pagan with a violent temper. They lived with Patricius’ mother who also had a similar character. One of her children, Augustine, was also a challenge for her. He had the wrong circle of friends, had a concubine and a child with her, and did not believe in Christ. How did Monica face all these? Through her prayer and good works! It was not easy though. However, by being faithful and prudent, she poured her heart out to God and did what she could to win over her loved ones to Christ.
When Augustine was finally converted, she said to him: “Son, nothing in this world now affords me delight. I do not know what there is now for me to do or why I am still here, all my hopes in this world being now fulfilled”. St Monica helped prepare Patricius, her mother-in-law, and her son Augustine for the day when the “Lord will come”. St Monica’s loved ones – imperfect though they were – helped prepare her “when the Son of Man will come”. In her memory, Augustine praised God: “Graciously You heard her, and You did not despise her tears when they flowed down from her eyes and watered the earth beneath, in whatsoever place she prayed. Graciously You heard her”.
• How do you prepare yourself and your loved ones for the Lord’s coming?
• St Monica’s story reminds us that God will hear our prayers, in His perfect time. How persevering is your prayer?
• As a wife and mother, St Monica did not give up on her loved ones. How do you deal with family members who are not practicing the Christian faith?
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your Word today. Through the example and prayers of St Monica, grant us the grace to nurture those You have entrusted to our care so that they too will know, love, serve, and be with You for all eternity. Amen.
Fraternally,
Pietro
