Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 12, 32-48
Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.
Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy.
For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.
Gird your loins and light your lamps
and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.
Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.
And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants.”
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.
You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
Then Peter said, “Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?”
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?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so.
Truly, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property.
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,
then that servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the unfaithful.
That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely;
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.”
Your heart is where your treasure is
1) Fear not. Do not be afraid because someone greater than you and your problems is with you; God loves you and needs you, and wants to give you eternal life. God wants everyone to be saved and to seek that peace that only He can give. Do not be afraid, because despite everything you have to face and go through, God never leaves you alone.
2) Your treasure, your heart. It is a good day to look at where your heart is placed. What are your dreams, your hopes, what do you want for your life? That’s where all your energy to live is placed. What dreams and what hopes do you have? Because if you are not clear about that, you will not even have the will to live. What is it that makes you get up every day? Maybe I am asking a lot of questions, but I want you to look at yourself and realize that you are more alive than ever and that you have treasures in your life, that not everything is sad and depressing, that you must find a meaning to your life, that your heart has to point to what you want and love and yearn for.
3) Thieves. Yes, there are thieves too and Jesus invites you to be watchful, to be attentive because there are thieves who will seek to take away your treasures. There are thieves of affection. People who abuse your heart and shatter it, making you totally dependent on them, taking away the treasure of being a happy lover and making you suffer for being in love. Also, beware of those ideological thieves who seek to show you a paradise with their ideologies, but end up taking away your freedom and your life. You become a slave of an institution. Beware, as well, of the thieves of your identity who believe they own your life because they show you friendliness, leading you to lose the most precious treasure: freedom. You are free and never risk your freedom with anyone, or with anything. God gave you this beautiful gift. Take care of it. Remember that the Lord’s will never threatens your freedom. Do not let anyone steal your hope of being happy, do not let anyone take away your joy and your smile. Those who love you respect you and accept you the way you are. Be aware of these thieves, and to be watchful you must remember where your goal is, remember your dreams, your intentions and where you want your life to go. This is the only way to avoid being caught up by someone or something.
God bless you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And remember that Heaven is our goal.
