Daily Readings - Thu Aug 28 2025
1 Thessalonians
7for this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith.8For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord.9For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God,10as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith?11Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you,12and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you,13so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
Matthew
42Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.43But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into.44Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.45"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time?46Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.47Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.48But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed,'49and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards,50the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know51and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter two powerful messages about faith, vigilance, and the call to live as disciples of Christ. The first reading from 1 Thessalonians expresses St. Paul’s deep affection and concern for the early Christian community. Despite the trials and tribulations they face, Paul finds joy in their steadfast faith. He prays for their continued growth in love and for the grace to see them again, that he might help complete what is lacking in their faith. This passage highlights Paul’s paternal care for his spiritual children and his desire for their holiness and blamelessness before God.
The Gospel from Matthew takes us into a different but complementary theme. Jesus warns us to be vigilant and prepared for His return, using the parable of the faithful and unfaithful servants. The faithful servant is prudent, trustworthy, and hardworking, while the unfaithful servant becomes complacent and abusive when he thinks his master is delayed. Jesus emphasizes that we do not know the hour of His return, so we must always be ready, living as faithful stewards of the gifts and responsibilities entrusted to us.
Both readings remind us that our faith is not a passive reality but an active way of life. Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonians and Jesus’ call to vigilance invite us to reflect on how we are living our daily lives. Are we growing in love and holiness? Are we faithful in fulfilling our duties and caring for one another? The moral lesson is clear: we are called to live with purpose and integrity, trusting in God’s plan and remaining prepared to meet Him at any moment. Let us ask for the grace to be faithful servants, living with hope and love, so that when the Lord comes, He may find us ready and fruitful in our faith.