Daily Readings - Sun Aug 10 2025

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 readiness. In the first reading from the Book of Wisdom, we hear about the night of the Passover, a moment of salvation for God’s people. The Israelites, trusting in God’s promises, were prepared to act faithfully, even in the face of uncertainty. This passage reminds us that God’s justice and mercy are at work in the world, and we are called to trust in His plan, even when the future seems unclear. The second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews deepens this theme by defining faith as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Abraham and Sarah are held up as examples of those who trusted God’s promises, even when they seemed impossible. Abraham left his home without knowing where he was going, and Sarah conceived a child in her old age, both acts of faith that trusted in God’s fidelity. This passage challenges us to examine our own faith—do we trust God enough to step into the unknown, believing that He will fulfill His promises? In the Gospel, Jesus uses the parable of the servants waiting for their master’s return to emphasize the importance of being prepared. The servants who are vigilant and ready are blessed, while those who are unprepared risk missing the master’s arrival. This teaching is not just about the end times; it’s about how we live each day. Jesus calls us to be spiritually alert, to keep our hearts and lives oriented toward Him, so that we are ready to welcome Him whenever He comes—whether at the end of our lives or in the unexpected moments of grace that He offers us daily. These readings together remind us that faith is not just a feeling or an idea; it is a way of life. It requires us to trust in God’s plan, even when we don’t see the full picture, and to live with our hearts and minds fixed on eternal realities. As we go about our daily lives, let us ask ourselves: Am I living with faith and trust in God? Am I prepared to meet Him, whether in the ordinary moments or in the extraordinary? May we, like the just and faithful servants, be found ready and vigilant, trusting in the Lord who is always faithful.