Thursday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
August 26, 2021
Thursday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 428
Reading I
We have been reassured about you, brothers and sisters,
in our every distress and affliction, through your faith.
For we now live, if you stand firm in the Lord.
What thanksgiving, then, can we render to God for you,
for all the joy we feel on your account before our God?
Night and day we pray beyond measure to see you in person
and to remedy the deficiencies of your faith.
Now may God himself, our Father, and our Lord Jesus
direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase
and abound in love for one another and for all,
just as we have for you,
so as to strengthen your hearts,
to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father
at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. Amen.
Responsorial Psalm
- (14) Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
You turn man back to dust,
saying, “Return, O children of men.”
For a thousand years in your sight
are as yesterday, now that it is past,
or as a watch of the night.
R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
And may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;
prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands!
R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
Alleluia
- Alleluia, alleluia.
Stay awake!
For you do not know when the Son of Man will come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this: if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.
“Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant,
whom the master has put in charge of his household
to distribute to them their food at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so.
Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property.
But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is long delayed,’
and begins to beat his fellow servants,
and eat and drink with drunkards,
the 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 hypocrites,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”
Reflection: BE PREPARED TO MEET THE LORD
The scouts have a motto: “Be prepared”. They are ready for any eventuality and try and foresee what they need to do in case something unfortunate happens. An incident is narrated about a saint who was asked a question while he was playing on the field. If the Lord summoned you now and you have a few minutes left, what would you do"? He simply said, “I would carry on playing my game”. He was well prepared to meet the Lord. He did not have to prepare himself as he lived his life in the love and fear of the Lord and did good works for others. Today the Lord tells us to be watchful and be ready for the return of the Son of Man. He will come at an unexpected hour. We need to be prepared as he will not announce his coming. He has gifted us with sufficient talents in order to accomplish all we have been entrusted. He does not give us jobs beyond what we can do. We are not lacking in any spiritual gift and the Lord strengthens us to the very end. The best way to be ready for the coming of Christ is to be holy. The holiness is manifested in doing good works. When we live our lives in joyful surrender and carry out the spiritual and corporal works of mercy, We bear witness to Christ and we prepare ourselves to meet Him, now in our neighbours and at the end of time in person.