Luke 12:39-48

Lectio (Reading)

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.
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 the servant 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.”

Meditatio (Reflecting)

Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.

Oratio (Responding)

This message is similar to the story of the talents, and that the responsible will be required to handle more, and those who are irresponsible, even what they have will be taken away. But there is a difference here. The parable speaks of the “faithful and prudent steward” that was put in charge of the master’s property and for distributing His goods at the proper time.

I have to think that while there is a message for us too, I believe that this is directed mostly to those that have be given authority over others. Specifically the priests, deacons, and bishops of the church. When a man is given responsibility of overseeing a part of God’s church those prellots have incredible power over the faith and worship of those in his care. If the bishop is good, the faithful with be better off than if he wasn’t. But if the bishop is bad, his wickedness will allow the wolves will come and snatch away souls without resistance. Faith is a serious matter, and our bishops are responsible for every soul that is put in their stewardship. So if we have a good prellot in our lives we have to support and encourage them, if we have bad ones we have to hold them to account and demand more from them.

But what is the message for us laypeople. It is the exact same. We all have authority structures in our lives, if we are parents we must take the raising of our children seriously, and with the same care. If we are leaders at work, or in the community we are held to an even higher standard, because you hold other people livelihood in your hands. If anyone follows your example, or looks up to you, you must be responsible with that power, and strive to be better at all times. God is watching, and he does not like his little ones being led astray. So if you dont want to be fitted for a millstone, you best heed this warning.

Contemplatio (Contemplating)

Take time to simply remain in the presence of God.

Resolutio (Resolving)