Thursday, August 28 2014; Memorial of Saint Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Lectionary: 428

Reading 1
1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Paul, called to be an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
and Sosthenes our brother,
to the Church of God that is in Corinth,
to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy,
with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I give thanks to my God always on your account
for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus,
that in him you were enriched in every way,
with all discourse and all knowledge,
as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you,
so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift
as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He will keep you firm to the end,
irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God is faithful,
and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 145:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

R. (1) I will praise your name for ever, Lord.

Every day will I bless you,
and I will praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.

R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.

Generation after generation praises your works
and proclaims your might.
They speak of the splendor of your glorious majesty
and tell of your wondrous works.

R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.

They discourse of the power of your terrible deeds
and declare your greatness.
They publish the fame of your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your justice.

R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.

Gospel
Matthew 24:42-51

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this: 
if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.

“Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant,
whom the master has put in charge of his household
to distribute to them their food at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so.
Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property.
But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is long delayed,’
and begins to beat his fellow servants,
and eat and drink with drunkards,
the servant’s master will come on an unexpected day
and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely
and assign him a place with the hypocrites,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: COMING SOON

"He will strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus." –1 Corinthians 1:8

We know that Jesus is coming a second and final time, but we don't know when. "You cannot know the day your Lord is coming" (Mt 24:42). This motivates us to "stay awake" and be prepared. "Happy that servant whom his master discovers at work on his return!" (Mt 24:46) We try not to fight with our fellow servants (Mt 24:49). The awareness of Jesus' final coming helps us see things in the right perspective. Time and eternity are too precious for us to be entangled with petty disagreements and selfish jealousies. Also, we refrain from getting involved with the foolish pleasures of the world. In the light of Jesus' Second Coming, material things lose much of their value. Jesus' final coming is not only concerned with life after death but also transforms our lives before death.

His Second Coming is and will be such a wonderful part of God's plan of salvation. We rejoice in the final day the Lord has made and try to hasten it by our repentance, intercession, and evangelization (2 Pt 3:12). With the believers of all time, we cry out: "Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!" (see 1 Cor 16:22) He answers: "Soon and very soon" (see Rv 1:1).

PRAYER: Lord, I want to be ready. I give my life to You. Do with me as You want.

PROMISE: "I continually thank my God for you because of the favor He has bestowed on you in Christ Jesus, in Whom you have been richly endowed with every gift of speech and knowledge." –1 Cor 1:4-5

PRAISE: After much struggle, St. Augustine was awakened to the truth of Christianity and prepared for Jesus' coming to him through the sacrament of Baptism.

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