St. Monica, mother 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

From Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

 And from Sosthenes, our brother, to God’s Church which is in Corinth; to you whom God has sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with those who everywhere call upon the name of our Lord Christ Jesus, their Lord and ours.

Receive grace and peace from God our Father, and Christ Jesus our Lord.  I give thanks constantly to my God for you and for the grace of God given to you in Christ Jesus. For you have been fully enriched in him with words as well as with knowledge, even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you. 

You do not lack any spiritual gift and only await the glorious coming of Christ Jesus, our Lord. He will keep you stead­fast to the end, and you will be with­out reproach on the day of the coming of our Lord Jesus. The faithful God will not fail you after calling you to this fellowship with his Son, Christ Jesus, our Lord.

 

Ps 145:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

I will praise your name for ever, Lord.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

Matthew 24:42-51

 Stay awake, then, for you do not know on what day your Lord will come. Just think about this: if the owner of the house knew that the thief would come by night around a certain hour, he would stay awake to prevent his house to be broken into. So be alert, for the Son of Man will come at the hour you least expect.

Imagine a capable servant whom his mas­ter has put in charge of his household to give them food at the proper time. Fortunate indeed is that servant whom his master will find at work when he comes. Truly, I say to you, his lord will en­trust that one with everything he has.

Not so with the bad servant who thinks: My mas­ter is delayed. And he begins ill-treating his fellow servants while eating and drinking with drunkards. But his master will come on the day he does not know and at the hour he least expects. He will dismiss that servant and deal with him as with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

 

 

Gospel Reflection：

Most political leaders, company owners, and religious authorities often need an alter ego (another self) to sustain their presence even in absence. That alter ego, however, has to be aware that he is not the leader, owner, or authority.

Many heads of state and corporate owners have suffered downfall due to their alter egos. Jesus similarly suggests that a faithful steward tends his master’s house like his own.

He  takes care of the property freely and spontaneously without need of a CCTV camera. Inasmuch as he sees his master’s continued presence in his responsibilities, he is not worried getting caught off guard. Moreover, the faithful servant is aware that he is not the master of the house.

He stands at par with other servants and does not own them. He knows what to do with the house as well as his place in the house.