First reading Ephesians 2:12-22
In Christ you are no longer aliens, but citizens like us
Do not forget that you had no Christ and were excluded from membership of Israel, aliens with no part in the covenants with their Promise; you were immersed in this world, without hope and without God. But now in Christ Jesus, you that used to be so far apart from us have been brought very close, by the blood of Christ. For he is the peace between us, and has made the two into one and broken down the barrier which used to keep them apart, actually destroying in his own person the hostility caused by the rules and decrees of the Law. This was to create one single New Man in himself out of the two of them and by restoring peace through the cross, to unite them both in a single Body and reconcile them with God: in his own person he killed the hostility. Later he came to bring the good news of peace, peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near at hand. Through him, both of us have in the one Spirit our way to come to the Father.
So you are no longer aliens or foreign visitors: you are citizens like all the saints, and part of God’s household. You are part of a building that has the apostles and prophets for its foundations, and Christ Jesus himself for its main cornerstone. As every structure is aligned on him, all grow into one holy temple in the Lord; and you too, in him, are being built into a house where God lives, in the Spirit.
Responsorial Psalm 84(85):9-14
The Lord speaks peace to his people.
I will hear what the Lord God has to say,
a voice that speaks of peace.
His help is near for those who fear him
and his glory will dwell in our land.
The Lord speaks peace to his people.
Mercy and faithfulness have met;
justice and peace have embraced.
Faithfulness shall spring from the earth
and justice look down from heaven.
The Lord speaks peace to his people.
The Lord will make us prosper
and our earth shall yield its fruit.
Justice shall march before him
and peace shall follow his steps.
The Lord speaks peace to his people.
Gospel Luke 12:35-38
Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit
Jesus said to his disciples:
‘See that you are dressed for action and have your lamps lit. Be like men waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast, ready to open the door as soon as he comes and knocks. Happy those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. I tell you solemnly, he will put on an apron, sit them down at table and wait on them. It may be in the second watch he comes, or in the third, but happy those servants if he finds them ready.’
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Waiting with readiness
“Be like men waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast, ready to open the door as soon as he comes and knocks”. Jesus speaks about the act of waiting in this gospel passage. We live in a society where everything is fast: fast food, fast transport, fast communication… and we are no longer used to waiting.
Jesus tells us to cultivate the attitude of waiting, not simply passive waiting but actively waiting. To be ready and wait for Jesus, our Master, means to live doing what we are supposed to do in every moment and to do it with love. Jesus comes to us not only at the end of our lives but constantly through encounters with people, situations, nature, or when He speaks to our conscience. Do we recognize Him? Is our heart ready to receive Him as He comes? Let us be ready to open the door of our hearts and our minds to His presence and words.
Reflective question:
Am I ready to receive Jesus through the different ways He comes to me?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year B” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD.
