19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)

Wis 18:6-9
Ps 33:1, 12, 18-19, 20-22
Heb 11:1-2, 8-19 or Heb 11:1-2, 8-12
Lk 12:32-48

This is Franciscan Father Greg Friedman with the "Sunday Soundbite" for the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

In my hometown of Cincinnati we have an unfinished subway. Begun early in the twentieth century, it consists of a couple of stations, and some miles of tunnels. It was abandoned before train tracks were even installed, and probably will never be used for its original purpose. We Cincinnatians like to joke about it, but in the late 1950's and '60's the unfinished subway did serve an unexpected purpose. For a time, during those years when we all feared that an atomic war might break out, part of the abandoned subway tunnels were outfitted to be a fallout shelter, complete with beds and supplies of food and water. It was an attempt at preparedness that, fortunately, was never tested.

Today's Gospel is about preparedness, and having our priorities straight. It's a message Saint Luke intended for his community to hear. They lived some thirty or forty years after the time of Jesus. Perhaps they were becoming complacent. Luke wanted them to hear Jesus' stern words about being prepared for the Master's return. He also wanted them to hear Christ's admonition about priorities. The leaders in Luke's community were especially to pay attention: When more is entrusted to you, more will be expected.

These Gospel truths shouldn't be buried away like Cincinnati's unfinished subway. Let's allow them to live in our hearts every day.

Scripture:

•That night was known beforehand to our fathers, that, with sure knowledge of the oaths in which they put their faith, they might have courage. (Wisdom 18:6)

•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. (Palm 33:20-22)

•So it was that there came forth from one man, himself as good as dead, descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sands on the seashore. (Hebrews 11:12)

•You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come. (Luke 12:40)

Reflection:

•How is your faith like Abraham’s faith?

•How are you prepared for the advice from Luke’s Gospel?

•How was the Passover evidence of the gift of faith bestowed on the Israelites?

•Have you ever prayed Psalm 33?

God takes care of the affairs of those who truly love him without their having to be anxious about them. Let your soul cling to nothing, and if you continue to pray God will take care of your other concerns. This I find to be true of myself, for the more things I have, and the more I put my heart and soul into them, the more anxious I find myself over them. O Great God of love! How wonderfully you give your riches to him who loves you and takes pleasure in nothing apart from you. You give yourself to him and make him one with you through love. (St. John of the Cross)