Paul, in our first reading from Ephesians, talks about God’s plan for salvation. Paul says that while other generations did not know it, it “has now been revealed.” That’s important. God’s plan for us is not an accident. While we have to have backup plans, God isn’t like that. He loved us from the moment of creation, from conception to natural death. The scripture says that it “was according to the eternal purpose that He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.” God’s love is a love that will last for eternity.
The past few days, we’ve heard from Paul as he reminded us that grace is a gift from God. God saves us through His grace. “Grace is a free gift; it is not a free pass.” Let me say that one more time: “Grace is a free gift, it is not a free pass.” That’s what Jesus is talking about in the parable from Luke today. “You must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” Jesus tells us that the only one who knows the time is God Himself.
Then He reminds us of something solemn, something that should be sobering. The more grace we have received, the more we have been entrusted with, the more that God expects of us. We are supposed to take care of the gifts God has given us. Now that does mean physical possessions. We should be good stewards of our home, of our church, of our land. It also means relationships. God has entrusted people in our lives to serve, to love, to bring the presence of God into their lives.
Now how often do we think of faith as the gift in this parable? There are many faiths out there, but we believe that only in the Catholic Church do we find the fullness of Christian living. The Father has given us Jesus Christ Himself in the Eucharist, the source and summit of our faith. Everything we do here should reflect that in our lives. Yes, Jesus is coming back at the end of time. There will be a day when the master comes back and demands an accounting of our actions, our stewardship.
He is also coming back substantially, at the hands of our Priests, during the Liturgy of the Eucharist. When we walk forward to find Jesus elevated before us in the sacred Host, we should keep that in mind that He entrusts us with the most precious gift that God can ever give us. Our Amen is a declaration that we truly believe all that the Catholic Church teaches and that this is the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Savior Jesus Christ.
Everything we do as Catholics should reflect that. Jesus said: “Much is required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.” Then He entrusted Himself to us. God has made it known to us through His Church how He expects us to behave, how a Sacramental life should look.
As we draw close to All Saints and All Souls Day, and the end of the liturgical year is in sight, the church reminds us that we are not promised tomorrow. I think our question to meditate on today, then, is this: “When the master returns, what account shall we render? “
A homily for Wednesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time (Year 2) Lectionary: 475, October 21, 2020