DAILY GRACE
October 20, 2020, Tuesday of the 29th Week of Ordinary Time
Scripture: Luke 12:35-38
‘Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.’
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Meditation:
“‘. . . as soon as he comes and knocks. “
It’s not a matter of if —- it’s a matter of when and how. In one sense God never leaves us. God sustains all things in existence with creative love. In another sense, however, God does “leave” us. In our limited human nature, we quickly lose track of God’s presence. God is always with us, but we are not always with God. The cares and concerns of day-to-day living barge in and claim our attention.
The ideal exhortation of today’s Gospel, “Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes,” may seem out of reach. But then remember Jesus told us elsewhere that he considers as given to him the acts of kindness we extend to the “least” among us. Our Christian vocation is lived out in service to others, after Jesus’ own pattern. Heaven is sometimes called the wedding feast of the Lamb of God. It is the celebration of the union of human and divine in Jesus Christ. It is God’s feast of life bestowed upon all creatures. This wedding feast can become present in our daily existence. God comes and knocks on our hearts, asking us to enter into the banquet of life. God comes and knocks on our doors in the “least” of those whom we encounter. How will God show up in these to me today?
Prayer
Lord, lead me to serve you in the presence of others. You already know the people and the situations I will encounter. Walk with me so those whom I meet today will find your compassion and strength in my words and actions. Show me in turn how to be a gracious guest at your table.
Contemplation
God is already in our midst serving us!