A Job to Do

Oct. 24: Tuesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Today’s readings are all about what God expects of us, with the full knowledge that we can’t do everything ourselves.

Reading 1

Rom 5:12, 15b, 17-19, 20b-21

Brothers and sisters: Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned.

If by that one person's transgression the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ overflow for the many. For if, by the transgression of the one, death came to reign through that one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of justification come to reign in life through the one Jesus Christ. In conclusion, just as through one transgression condemnation came upon all, so, through one righteous act acquittal and life came to all. For just as through the disobedience of one man the many were made sinners, so, through the obedience of the one the many will be made righteous. Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through justification for eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

One man sinned, and we all inherited original sin from him. In order to make it up to God, we’d need to make a perfect sacrifice; only one Man can do that—Jesus.

Once that sacrifice has been performed once and for all, we no longer have to make burnt offerings and such, as they did in the Old Testament. The only thing left to offer God is ourselves, which is all He wants, anyway.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 17

R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Burnt offerings or sin offerings you sought not;
then said I, "Behold I come."
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
"In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,
To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!"
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
May all who seek you
exult and be glad in you,
And may those who love your salvation
say ever, "The LORD be glorified."
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.

Obedience is better than sacrifice. God has laid out his plans for us. He doesn’t ask for anything extraordinary; he just wants us to do what’s best for us anyway—love Him and love each other.

Given that task, the Psalmist still sings God’s praise. Why? For the same reason we hear from Jesus in today’s Alleluia. We can’t follow this plan all by ourselves. We need God’s help, and we should thank Him when we get it.

Alleluia

Lk 21:36

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Be vigilant at all times and pray
that you may have the strength to stand before the Son of Man.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Be vigilant and pray. Our own strength of will isn’t enough.

Gospel

Lk 12:35-38

Jesus said to his disciples: "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."

Have you ever been given a job or a task, something goes wrong or takes to long, but you get it done anyway? As far as you’re concerned, you had a job and you did it. But then find your employer surprised just how well you did?

Sometimes bosses have low expectations because of previous bad employees, or maybe they just don’t demand as much from their workers as they do themselves. Staying late to get the job done, without asking for more than what was agreed upon—that’s something that gets noticed.

So it is with the master in this parable. He gets home from a party, and finds his servants are all waiting for him. He could let them wait on him, but what kind of boss would he be then?

Yes, the servants were just doing their duty, keeping watch. But he was out an unreasonably long time, and he wouldn’t have held it against them if they’d fallen asleep. But they didn’t!

We have the commandments and the Gospels. We know what we’re supposed to do. What we don’t know is what obstacles will be in our way. We don’t know how long we have to do our duty. If we keep going anyway, God will notice.