Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom

 

 "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.  Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

"Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately.  Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching.  Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.  And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.  Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."  

Then Peter said to Him, "Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?"  And the Lord said, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.  Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.  But if that servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.  And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.  But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few.  For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more."

 

- Luke 12:32-48 

 

Yesterday we read that one from the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."  But He said to him, "Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?"  And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."  Then He spoke a parable to them, saying, "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.  And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?'  So he said, 'I will do this:  I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.  And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your east; eat, drink, and be merry."'  But God said to him, 'Fool!  This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?'  So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."  Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.  Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.  Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them.  Of how much more value are you than the birds?  And which if you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?  Consider the lilies, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?  And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink. nor have an anxious mind.  For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.  But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."

 

  "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.  Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."   Do not fear, my study bible says, is a recurring theme in this discourse.  Little flock is a reference to all believers.   A note says that they are "little" in two ways.  First, they are insignificant in the eyes of the world; and second, they are small in number when compared to the earthly and heavenly creation.  Let us note again the emphasis on giving -- that this increases our treasure in heaven.  To give also becomes a blessing to us in the sense that it help us to realize just how great our gifts truly are, when we see our effort effectively helping and spreading needed support to others.  Even the materially poorest among us is rich in gifts to give to others, including time and simply care, prayers, friendship.

"Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately.  Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching.  Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them."  This is a call to be vigilant, my study bible says.  It echoes the imagery of the parable of the wise and foolish virgins in Matthew 25:1-13.  To let your waist be girded is to prepare for virtuous action, an image which comes from the common practice of workers gathering up and fastening their garments so as not to get them dirty before a task.   To keep lamps burning is to keep awake, alert, seeing; my study bible interprets that as a call to spiritual discernment.  Let us note the response of a generous and good master to his good servants:  he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.  It reminds us of Christ washing His disciples' feet at the Last Supper.

 

"And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants."  The second watch and third watch are the hours following sunset; they include the time between 9:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m.   My study bible says these are interpreted as hours of heightened temptation.  The servants are most blessed, therefore, who remain faithful during the night. 

"But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.  Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."   My study bible comments here that it is not the place of anyone to try to predict the time of the return of the Son of Man.  Rather we are called to remain faithful and to be ready at every hour.  

Then Peter said to Him, "Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?"  And the Lord said, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.  Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.  But if that servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.  And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.  But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few.  For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more."  The previous parable (in the paragraph just before) applied to all people, which Peter asks about.  But in response, Jesus refers to a faithful and wise steward, indicating that it is addressed to the apostles and their successors, the rulers and teachers of the Church.  My study bible says that the exhortations to principles of virtue and the warnings against corruption apply specifically to those entrusted with spiritual leadership.  Let us note that the judgment of the teachers of the Church will be strict (James 3:1).  The many stripes which are given to those willfully and knowingly disobedient are a symbol of condemnation.  The few stripes are for those who are disobedient out of ignorance, and they indicate chastisement or correction. 

So how are we to stay busy as we await the return of our Lord?  Clearly Jesus has begun to prepare the disciples for the time that will come after His Passion.  We have already read that He has set His face for Jerusalem (9:51-53).  In today's reading we're given first a parable for all believers, and then one directed at those who would be stewards of the house of Christ, the Church.  That is, for the leaders and teachers to come, directed specifically toward the apostles and their successors, in answer to Peter's question.  First Christ reassures each one of our value to God.  This is something that we should never forget.  And that goes hand in hand with His command that we understand what it is to give toward one another, and to account to ourselves treasures in heaven by doing so.  This is a command not simply that one gives alms or charity in a conventional sense, but it is also a teaching which characterizes Jesus' broad attitude regarding the power of the soul and the acts of faith.  It is not simply about giving alms to others in which we find this attitude expressed, but also in Christ's teaching that we forgive others as we seek to be forgiven, that we shall receive mercy as we also express mercy, that we do good and even pray for our enemies.  Mind you, in the context of abusive or vicious behavior, to pray for one's enemy is not to seek to cement their behavior in stone or to approve of it, but rather to pray for their salvation which implies a better way of life.  This constant iteration in various forms of Jesus' injunction to be gracious (as God is gracious) and generous (as God is generous) is one that teaches us a tremendously expansive way of thinking and being.  It liberates us from a tit-for-tat mentality, from sizing up and measuring everything rather than living in the spirit of God's love which is not measured, and it asks us to pay no mind to vengeance but to instead seek God's will through all things -- even through attacks of our enemies.   This generous spirit is also exemplified in our readiness to do our Master's will, our focus on the tasks at hand and the things Christ wishes from us in our faith.  St. James writes that faith without works is dead, and I would invite everyone to consider to rethink our concept of what "works" are.  They might not simply be tasks we think of as work or deeds, but the simple act of prayer in private, the prayer said at a moment when we think of someone in pain or difficulty, the kind heart that reflects on how one might be able to help another who is hurting.  These are all "acts" or choices, things we choose to do.  Even our faith itself -- putting our trust in Christ -- is an "act" and something that we do.  It is, after all, what it is to "work the works of God" as Jesus defines it in John 6:27-29.  In this sense, as faithful servants to Christ, always expecting the Master's return and remaining uncertain of when exactly that will happen, our minds are always to be on living our faith, seeking first the kingdom of God, focusing on spiritual discernment through all things, remaining alert to the promptings of a heart focused on our faith in Christ.  That's essentially what He is asking us to do.  If it seems like a lot of effort, consider the magnanimous spirit that asks us to be like our Master, the One who created us in God's own image and likeness which is love.  Jesus is teaching us that magnanimity, generosity, graciousness, unmeasured mercy, and love are all attributes of a truly natural human being.  That is, they are the real groundwork of our souls made in the image and likeness of God.   This generosity that recognizes one's energy and capacity to serve God is part of living in God's kingdom.  It isn't simply an effort we must make.  It is rather coming to terms with the fact that in so living, we find ourselves blessed with abundance we didn't think we had, with a far greater capacity for personal expansion and blessedness than we knew, and with a joy that comes from realizing those capacities for good that are hidden in the smallest of acts made through faith.  We are, in fact, unlimited in ways that we don't know -- but are revealed through the life in abundance to which He seeks to draw us.  Let us remember that life and faith are a journey of discovery, which we will only find by following Him on that road (His "way") and in the true experience of a life lived in faith.  Generosity and magnanimity are hallmarks of the blessed way of life, as revealed in the Beatitudes.  This is the life of the kingdom, which it is the Father's good pleasure to give to the faithful.