Thursday 26 August 2021
Today is Thursday the 26 August, in the 21st week of Ordinary time.
The community of Taizé sing: Seigneur, tu gardes mon âme. ‘Lord, you watch over my soul. You know my heart. Lead me on the road to eternity.’
Today’s reading is from the Gospel of Matthew.
Matthew 24:42-51
Jesus said to his disciples: “Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour. Who then is the faithful and wise slave, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves their allowance of food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives. Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions. But if that wicked slave says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and he begins to beat his fellow slaves, and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know. He will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Jesus tells of the need for us to be ready whenever he might come. What does the image of 'the master coming back unexpectedly' mean to you? And what would 'keeping awake' mean for you in your life?
Jesus can come to us in many ways. He comes to us now, and not just at the end of time. How might he come to you in your life? How would you want to receive him?
Hear the gospel passage again. It might have sounded, the first time, like some kind of threat, as if Jesus wanted to catch us out, but as you listen, think instead of Jesus's desire to come back to us, and for the joy of finding us waiting for him.
If you think of Jesus walking in here, right now, what does your heart want to say to him?
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.