You too, be prepared! Because the Son of Man will arrive at the time you least expect him***

 

First Reading: Romans 6:12-18

Reading of Saint Paul's letter to the Romans – Brothers, 12May sin no longer reign in your mortal body, leading you to obey its passions. 13No longer offer your members to sin as weapons of iniquity. On the contrary, offer yourselves to God as living people, that is, as people who have passed from death to life, and place your members at the service of God as weapons of justice. 14Indeed, sin will not dominate you, since you are not under the rule of Law, but under the rule of grace. 15So, will we sin because we are not under the rule of Law, but under the rule of grace? Not at all! 16Do you not know that when you offer yourselves to someone as slaves, you are really slaves to the one you obey, whether slaves of sin leading to death or slaves of obedience leading to righteousness? 17Thank God that you, after being slaves to sin, began to obey, from your heart, the teachings to which you were given. 18Freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. - Word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm: 123(124)

Our help is in the name of the Lord.

1. If the Lord were not by our side, / let Israel say so at this moment; / if the Lord had not been by our side / when men attacked us, / they would certainly have devoured us / in the fury of their anger against us. – R.

2. Then the waters would have submerged us, / the current would have dragged us / and then, over us / these ever more impetuous waters would have passed. / Blessed be the Lord, who did not let / us fall like prey from his teeth! – R.

3. Our soul, like a bird, escaped / from the snare that the hunter had set for it; / the bond suddenly broke, / and so we were able to free ourselves. / Our help is in the name of the Lord, / of the Lord who made heaven and made the earth! – R.

Gospel: Luke 12,39-48

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah.

Watch, says Jesus, watch, / for on the day you do not expect, / your Lord will come (Mt 24,42.44). – R.

Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Luke – At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: 39 “Be sure, if the owner of the house had known when the thief would arrive, he would not have let him break into his house. 40You too, be prepared! Because the Son of Man will arrive at the hour when you least expect it.” 41Then Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us or to everyone?” 42And the Lord answered: “Who is the faithful and wise administrator that you will put in charge of your household to give food to everyone at the right time? 43Happy is the employee whom the boss finds acting like this when he arrives! 44Truly I tell you, the Lord will entrust him with the management of all his possessions. 45But if that servant thinks, 'My master is taking a while,' and begins to beat the servants and the maids, and to eat, drink and get drunk, 46that servant's master will arrive on an unexpected day and at an unforeseen hour, he it will split him in half and make him share in the fate of the infidels. 47That employee who, knowing his master's will, prepared nothing or acted according to his will will be flogged many times. 48But the employee who did not know this will and did things that deserve punishment will be whipped a few times. To whom much has been given, much will be asked; to whom much has been entrusted, much more will be required!” – Word of salvation.

Reflection:

In the things of God, who is the faithful and prudent administrator? He is the one who does not deviate from the path of Jesus, is always attentive to his calls, and continues to serve his flock in joy. It is a current recommendation, not only for the people in general, but also for religious leaders: bishops, priests, deacons, ministers and pastoral agents. The Gospel presents the vigilant Christian with the mentality of an administrator and not a boss. Only God is the Lord. The Church needs less “masters” and more “servants”. Through baptism, everyone assumes responsibilities and must place themselves at the service of others. Therefore, without using their role with authoritarianism and an air of power, each person is invited to commit themselves humbly to the service of the community, knowing that they can count on God's grace.