Faithful and Vigilant Service

Dear brothers and sisters, the Gospel, the word of God in Jesus, is joyful news meant to convey that God desires good for man. Moreover, it seeks to show that every human being, regardless of differences, is invited to become a child of God. To each and every one of us is offered the word of truth, the word of redemption, and the word of eternal life.

What we hear particularly in these final weeks of the liturgical year is a very important concept that Jesus constantly repeats: preparedness and vigilance. We well know from other areas of our lives how important preparedness is, and how important it is to know how to listen.

Perhaps this is precisely one of the greatest problems for us people of today: we have no patience, we have no time for one another, often we do not know how to listen, and there is this self-confidence: "What can anyone tell me? I know everything." After all, today so many technical means are at our disposal, and even artificial intelligence is here, or as American President Donald Trump calls it, superintelligence, which perhaps one day will want to take the place of man. So why should I listen to anyone if I can find answers elsewhere, and perhaps even the solutions themselves to every question and every life situation?

And here Jesus speaks precisely of a value. The value of the word of God, which is worthy of our attention, our listening, and above all, our action. And therefore the problem often arises that "I will have time later." God knows when that will be, and so on. And then we relax, or we fail to do it, or we do precisely what contradicts what God and the word of God tell us.

That is why Jesus says today regarding this servant as well: "Who knows when the Lord will come? Now that I have the opportunity, I am going to let myself go." And then He says he begins to beat the menservants and maidservants, meaning he indulges the desires of the flesh, and often human will, which desires power, especially superiority and domination over others. Over those whom I consider weaker than myself and who simply by virtue of their position must obey me, regardless of what I ask of them.

However, when the master arrives, He says, that servant will be punished because he did not fulfill what the word of God requires of him. Jesus requires this word from us, that we be close to people. Jesus spoke and wanted it to become the rule, the mentality of His kingdom and behavior: listening, service, and doing what God asks of us. And therefore, dear brothers and sisters, God has often passed by us, brothers and sisters, without us even noticing.

We do not possess those capacities or qualities with which we could improve God in any way, or that God would need our goodness or holiness. But we do possess those qualities that God gives us so that we can recognize Him in other people around us. That we be ready to be servants to one another, and that we be ready to do good to one another.

That is why Jesus said: whatever you did to one of the least of these my brethren, you did to me. Not just to the little one, but to the least of my brethren. What you did, you did with Jesus. And that is why Jesus says: Come, blessed ones. In the same way He says: Whatever you did not do to one of these least ones, you did not do to me. And what does He say of them? Depart from me, you cursed.

That is why Jesus says today as well: Blessed is that servant whom his master, upon returning home, finds so working, just as He commanded him, just as the word of God and the received grace desire. Because we are heirs of God's grace, not only because we are called Christians, but also because we act as such. As Christians, serving, faithfully, humbly, and obediently listening to the word of God, but likewise to one another.

And precisely because of this, dear brothers and sisters, God desires that we be faithful in this and vigilant to the end. That is precisely why there is a great danger that we do not slack off in what we have received, in God's great gift of grace to listen to the word of God. We receive it with our ears, we receive it in our hearts as well, and being strengthened, we testify with our Christian good works, with goodness and love. Let us not postpone it, as that servant began to beat the maidservant and the other people.

Therefore we cannot say that the word of God is not a warning for us. Therefore we cannot say that we have not received it, when Jesus says: you know neither the day nor the hour. And precisely because we are not capable of knowing the day and hour of His coming, we are invited not to postpone, but to listen and act.

Immediately and now, when I have the opportunity, when He, our redeeming God comes, it will already be too late. And then, as Jesus says, for our wickedness or bad behavior, or perhaps for the ugly image that we leave in other people through our ugly deeds and behavior, and thus do not make it possible for them to recognize Christ, His face, love, mercy, and goodness, He says, he will receive many beatings because he knew but did not do it. He says whoever did not know, he says, will receive few beatings because he did not do it.

And we have been given a great grace to bear the name of Jesus and to do the deeds that He Himself did. And precisely for that reason let us be ready to listen to His word. Let us be vigilant, and let us do the deeds that will be pleasing to Him, so that in the end we ourselves may hear that word which Jesus today blessedly speaks to that servant whose Lord, when He comes, finds him acting thus.

Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, we Christians must be worthy of our name and worthy of our vocation. Our vocation is not merely to be called Christians and to boast of our Christian name, but to carry out the deeds that Jesus Christ Himself did on this earth. It was not for nothing that He said He came to give us an example, because He walked the earth doing good, so that we too might do precisely this good in His name on this earth.

And that we do not receive His word with a smile, but truly seriously, and are ready to fulfill it immediately as soon as we receive it and accomplish our mission. This, dear brothers and sisters, is like in sports. No player can execute the tactics assigned to him half an hour before the match starts. Of course the match is not going to go the way he wants, and when things turn in a bad direction, he would want it to end as soon as possible, because the sooner it ends, the smaller the catastrophe will be.

And precisely because of this, dear brothers and sisters, we too take care that the word of God be living and effective in us, so that by our good works and loving deeds we prove that we are righteous, merciful, ready for action, ready to fight against every injustice and inequality in society, so that we look upon one another as brothers and sisters.

Because we shine, as Jesus says with His own, His apostles and listeners: you are my friends, because everything I heard from my Father I have told you. And therefore, dear brothers and sisters, let us not be like those who do not listen, and when the world often looks at us, let us not share as those who do not understand what we must do.

So that the world, instead of praising God and giving thanks to Him as in the first community, would say that everyone glorified God because of their deeds, exemplary life, love, and community. And sometimes today, when we look at it, where is this community of ours, where are these deeds of ours, where is this love of ours?

May it happen through the working of His holy divine grace that even in today's times, thanks to our readiness to fulfill what the Lord asks of us, we do just, loving, and merciful deeds in this world. That we give witness to our love and openness toward other people, especially those in need.

And then, when we indeed do this and show it through our sacrifice, our love, and our Christian dignity, in today's times may this world praise God and give thanks to God on account of us for His grace and His word, which thus clearly and loudly becomes distinguishable, must manifest in our lives, and become evident in our love and our openness. Amen.