The Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – August 10, 2025
With Christ’s Ascension two millennia ago, it is challenging to take seriously the urgency of today’s Gospel reading. If Christ’s second coming hasn’t happened by now, why be concerned?
How do we communicate the good news of this Gospel and help our assemblies not only believe in but also hope for the coming of Jesus at the end of days? Perhaps the second part of today’s Gospel reading, starting at verse 41, gives us some direction. For although we might not be able to plan for the final coming of Jesus, we could always be ready for his next coming in this very hour.
The point is not when the master will return but what we are doing when he does. With Jesus, the work we have been given is always for the purpose of service to others, nothing more or less.
The faithful and prudent servants are the ones who continue to do the master’s work, day after day, even when no one is looking. Because the point is not when the master will return but what we are doing when he does. With Jesus, the work we have been given is always for the purpose of service to others, nothing more or less.
In ministry, each day the master comes in many forms—in the anxious couple eager to plan their distant wedding, the distraught person who needs more attention than you think you can give, or the parishioner who steals your calm with yet another complaint. When Christ comes at these moments, will we be ready to serve him with joy?
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