By: Fr. Stephen Salocks, Rector
Hope is central to the message proclaimed on the Nineteenth Sunday of the Year. The closing verses of the Responsorial Psalm 33 encapsulate the teaching of the scriptures proclaimed: “Our soul waits for the Lord, who is our help and our shield. May your kindness, O Lord, be upon us who have put our hope in you” (Psalm 33:20,22). In fact, all of the readings encourage us to wait for God with trust.
We are to wait for God with trust like the Israelites at the very first Passover when God freed them from slavery in Egypt and led them to freedom as mentioned in the First Reading from the Book of Wisdom.
We are to pay attention to the description of waiting in trust in the verses of the Second Reading from the Letter to the Hebrews that declares, “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for, and evidence of things not seen.” We make special note of the example of Abraham who, trusting that God would lead him to a new land and bless him with descendants, did everything “by faith.”
In the Gospel, we want to listen closely as Jesus teaches his disciples about possessions and about being prepared and watchful for the coming of the Son of Man. Disciples are called to be steadfast in their faith even when the master’s return is delayed.
Like the first disciples who accompanied Jesus on the road to Jerusalem, we continue to hear Him reassure us that God wants to give us the kingdom, and we continue to rely on His presence with us as we walk the road of discipleship. Christ’s presence in our lives is the true and inexhaustible treasure that Jesus speaks of today. “For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.”
Inspired by God’s Word, we pray today that our Lord will encourage and strengthen our hearts to seek him always, to be alert to his presence, and to be ready for his coming. May we not only watch and prepare for the Lord but also help others prepare by the way we live trusting and hope-filled lives in the Lord.