Daily Readings - Sun Aug 07 2022

⁶For that night was known beforehand by our fathers, so that, knowing the truth of the oaths in which they had trusted, they might be more peaceful in their souls⁷Yet your people received not only the salvation of the just, but also the destruction of the unjust⁸For just as you wounded our adversaries, so also did you greatly esteem calling us forth⁹For the just children of goodness were secretly offering sacrifice, and in agreement they administered the law of justice, so that both good and bad would be able to receive justice, and so that you might now approve of their chanting to the father

Hebrews

Chapter 11

¹Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not apparent²For this reason, the ancients were given testimony⁸By faith, the one called Abraham obeyed, going out to the place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going⁹By faith, he stayed in the Land of the Promise as if in a foreign land, dwelling in cottages, with Isaac and Jacob, co-heirs of the same promise¹⁰For he was awaiting a city having firm foundations, whose designer and builder is God¹¹By faith also, Sarah herself, being barren, received the ability to conceive offspring, even though she was past that age in life. For she believed him to be faithful, who had promised¹²Because of this, there were also born, from one who himself was as if dead, a mulititude like the stars of heaven, who are, like the sand of the seashore, innumerable

Luke

Chapter 12

³⁵Let your waists be girded, and let lamps be burning in your hands³⁶And let you yourselves be like men awaiting their lord, when he will return from the wedding; so that, when he arrives and knocks, they may open to him promptly³⁷Blessed are those servants whom the Lord, when he returns, will find being vigilant. Amen I say to you, that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, while he, continuing on, will minister to them³⁸And if he will return in the second watch, or if in the third watch, and if he will find them to be so: then blessed are those servants³⁹But know this: that if the father of the family knew at what hour the thief would arrive, he would certainly stand watch, and he would not permit his house to be broken into⁴⁰You also must be prepared. For the Son of man will return at an hour that you will not realize.

Sermon

The readings today invite us to reflect on the themes of faith, trust, and preparedness. In the first reading from the Book of Wisdom, we hear about the night of the Passover, when the Israelites trusted in God’s promises and were spared the destruction that befell the Egyptians. This passage reminds us that faith is not just intellectual assent but a deep trust in God’s plan, even when the future is uncertain. The Israelites’ peace amidst chaos was rooted in their confidence in God’s covenant and His faithfulness. The second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews elaborates on this theme of faith. The author defines faith as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not apparent.” Abraham and Sarah are held up as examples of such faith. Despite the impossibility of their situation—Abraham being called to an unknown land and Sarah conceiving a child in her old age—they trusted God’s promises. Their story shows that true faith leads to action, even when the path ahead is unclear. This reading encourages us to embrace the same kind of faith, trusting that God is always faithful to His promises. In the Gospel, Jesus uses the parable of the servants waiting for their master’s return to emphasize the importance of vigilance and readiness. The servants who are prepared and faithful in their duties are rewarded, while those who are complacent risk being caught off guard. This passage is a call to live with our hearts and minds focused on God, always ready to respond to His call. It reminds us that our lives as Christians are not about passively waiting but about actively living in anticipation of God’s presence and action in our lives. These readings, when taken together, challenge us to cultivate a deeper trust in God and to live with purpose and vigilance. Just as the Israelites trusted in the Passover, and Abraham and Sarah trusted in God’s promises, we too are called to trust in God’s plan for our lives. And just as the servants in the Gospel were called to be ready for their master’s return, we are called to be prepared for the ways God may call us to serve or to encounter Him. Let us strive to live each day with faith, hope, and a willingness to follow wherever God leads, knowing that He is always faithful and always with us.