In the Creed, we profess our belief that the Lord will return to judge the living and the death. This belief was held by the apostles and early Church and inserted into our creeds, so that we would not forget that the Lord will return and at that time we will have to give an accounting of our lives: have we been busy about the Lord’s work or have we been busy about our own pursuits?
The Parable today is certainly one of the sources of our belief in the Lord’s return as judge. The Master, Jesus, has put us, his servants, to work distributing food, just like in the Parable. We’ve been tasked to distribute both physical food and spiritual food—physical food for the physically hungry and spiritual food for the spiritually hungry—the word of God and the Eucharist.
And as the Parable explains, the Master will return on an unexpected day at an unknown hour. And for the servants who’ve been delinquent in their duties…well there will be consequences for that delinquency, no? For many Christian souls, that will entail the fires of purgatory, which will cleanse us of our selfish tendencies prior to entrance into heavenly glory. For some, for those servants who, well, showed themselves not to be servants at all, they will be exiled from the Master’s house forever.
This parable is always a good wake up call, isn’t it? It challenges us to examine our lives, to repent of our selfishness and recommit to doing what we are on this earth to do: to be busy about the Lord’s work.
We know how easy it is to allow zeal for the Lord’s work to dissipate, for selfish pursuits to creep in to our lives, for prayer to be replaced with...well, just about anything else, no?
And we aren’t just to “look busy” either. St. Paul has some pretty strong words for those Christians who he called “busy bodies”—those who made a big show about being Christian, but were pretty delinquent in doing any Christian works.
Rather, may the holy spirit help us to truly recognize how we may have grown lax or inattentive to our Christian duties. May he help us to recommit to holy works and the prayer we need, that when the Lord returns he might find us vigilant and dutiful for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
That the love of God more deeply fill the hearts of all who believe, for the lukewarm, for those who have lost their faith, for hardened sinners, and for those who have yet to believe. Let us pray to the Lord.
That world leaders may look upon the Son of God, believe in him, and seek the peace and justice that only he can bring.
For the transformation of all attitudes which lead to war, violence, racial hatred, and religious persecution.
That, during this month dedicated to the Holy Rosary, many Christians will discover new and deep devotion to Our Lady’s powerful intercession and maternal care for the Church
That the love of Christ, the divine physician, may bring healing to the sick and peace to all the suffering.
For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, and all the poor souls in purgatory, for the repose of the souls of all those who made our reception of the faith possible.
O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.
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