The call from my niece Kat was outright unexpected. After I said “Hello,” everything was a blur. All I could hear was, “Say your last goodbye to my mom. She’s listening to you over the phone.”

It took a few seconds for me to sort out what was happening. My sister, Nancy Girlie, just a year older than me, was brought to the ER and was breathing her last.

Ordinarily, the entire clan would have rushed to her bedside, but COVID changed all the rules. Only one relative was allowed to accompany her inside the hospital.

So there I was on the phone, caught totally unprepared to say goodbye to a sister I loved so dearly. I was sobbing and bawling my heart out, bidding my final farewell to Girlie without even seeing her for a last hug.

The Son of Man came at an hour we did not expect. Indeed, the Word of God is true yesterday, today, and forever. We need to be ready to meet Him. Only He knows when and where. Mari Sison Garcia (mari_sison_garcia@yahoo.com)

reflect

If the Lord decides to call you today, are you ready?

Lord, You know we are weak. Grant me and my family the grace to be ready so we can spend eternal life with You. Amen.

Saint Hilarion, pray for us.

We are all stewards of God’s grace leading to salvation. This responsibility was not given to Paul alone, nor to a select few. Each of us has received the gift of salvation and is called to share it with others. This is the very nature of the Gospel—it must never be hidden where others cannot find it. The Good News is meant to be proclaimed from the housetops until it has reached the ends of the earth.

² Brothers and sisters: You have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for your benefit, ³ namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly earlier. ⁴ When you read this you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, ⁵ which was not made known to human beings in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy Apostles and prophets by the Spirit, ⁶ that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same Body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel. ⁷ Of this, I became a minister by the gift of God’s grace that was granted me in accord with the exercise of his power. ⁸ To me, the very least of all the holy ones, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the inscrutable riches of Christ, ⁹ and to bring to light for all what is the plan of the mystery hidden from ages past in God who created all things, ¹⁰ so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the Church to the principalities and authorities in the heavens. ¹¹ This was according to the eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, ¹² in whom we have boldness of speech and confidence of access through faith in him.

Responsorial Psalm | Isaiah 12:2-3, 4, 5-6 (or Psalm 31:3-4,6, 8, 16, 17)

R: You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

² God indeed is my savior; I am confident and unafraid. My strength and my courage is the Lord, and he has been my savior. ³ With joy you will draw water at the fountain of salvation. (R) ⁴ Give thanks to the Lord, acclaim his name; among the nations make known his deeds, proclaim how exalted is his name. (R) ⁵ Sing praise to the Lord for his glorious achievement; let this be known throughout all the earth. ⁶ Shout with exultation, O city of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel! (R)

Gospel | Luke 12:39-48 (or Matthew 10:17-22)

The last line of today’s Gospel is critical. It doesn’t apply solely to the distribution of grace, but to all the good things that come from God. Whatever we have—whether earned or unearned— is a gift from Him. One day, we will give an account of how we have used His gifts. We have a responsibility to use what we’ve been given for the good of others as well as for ourselves.

Gospel Acclamation

Stay Awake! For you do not know when the Son of Man will come.

³⁹ Jesus said to his disciples: “Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁰ You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” ⁴¹ Then Peter said, “Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?” ⁴² And the Lord replied, “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute the food allowance at the proper time? ⁴³ Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so. ⁴⁴ Truly, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. ⁴⁵ But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk, ⁴⁶ then that servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish the servant severely and assign him a place with the unfaithful. ⁴⁷ That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; ⁴⁸ and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”

Read the Bible in one year! Read SIRACH 46 - 51 today.

At times, we forget the many gifts God has given us—or we forget that our gifts are God-given. We are more aware of what we do not have. The truth is, He has given us so much. As human beings, we are given the great capacity to love, forgive, understand, care, learn, etc. They make life meaningful and worth living. We only need to find these capacities. When we find them, we use them in accordance with God’s purpose. They are given to us not for us to decide how they are to be used, but to serve the community we belong to.

Furthermore, it is a big mistake to keep our gifts to ourselves. Selfishness has no room in a Christian’s heart. If we look at the human body—the hands, eyes, ears, lips, and other parts—they are meant not to serve ourselves but others. God created us to reach out, to communicate, and to connect with others. Jesus commanded us to love our neighbor as ourselves. God meant a world of people loving and caring for each other. When we share ourselves, we fulfill His purpose.

God gave us gifts according to our capacity, so we should not be jealous of others—in the same way that they should not be jealous of the gifts we have. Our charisms are meant to complement each other. Thus, some are prophets, teachers, priests, doctors, farmers, engineers, garbage collectors, caregivers, etc. Before God’s eyes, we are all equal. Let us focus on our gifts and use them for His greater glory. When we face God, we can proudly tell Him we have used the gifts He has given us in accordance with His will. Fr. Benny Tuazon

reflection questions

What are your God-given gifts? How have you used them? Do you believe that you still have undiscovered gifts?

God, our Father, thank You for my gifts. I promise to discover and recognize them as coming from Your goodness. Holy Spirit, inspire me to use my gifts for God’s greater glory. Amen.

Today, I pray for: _________________________________