Message of Abbot Paul - Sunday 7th August

Message from Fr Paul for Sunday, 7th August 2022

 Today we have a long Gospel passage from Luke, (Lk 12: 32-48), so I hope that those who have to preach will keep their sermons short, although it’s surprising at times how much we can talk! The parables that follow really serve to explain what Jesus says in his introduction. “There is no need to be afraid, little flock, for it has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give alms. Get yourselves purses that do not wear out, treasure that will not fail you, in heaven where no thief can reach it and no moth destroy it. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” It is really important for us to learn that our Father in heaven wants to give us the kingdom and that, in Christ, he has already done so, even if we find that hard to believe or to recognise in our lives. There is a condition though, and it's the same condition as for following Jesus. We are to put Christ first, give away or sell the treasures we have already accumulated on earth, and seek treasure in heaven, that is the virtues that will make us holy: obedience, humility, generosity, charity, patience, and so on.

 There follows a parable. “See that you are dressed for action and have your lamps lit. Be like men waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast, ready to open the door as soon as he comes and knocks. Happy those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. I tell you solemnly, he will put on an apron, sit them down at table and wait on them. It may be in the second watch he comes, or in the third, but happy those servants if he finds them ready. You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what hour the burglar would come, he would not have let anyone break through the wall of his house. You too must stand ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” This is similar to all the apocalyptic passages we find in the Gospels, that emphasise above all being ready for the Master’s return when he comes home from a marriage feast, the Resurrection and Ascension perhaps. Servants find joy in always being prepared for their master’s return. How many parables can you think of with this theme? When he comes, the roles will be reversed and he will serve them, even to the extent of putting on an apron, the sign of a servant or slave. It would appear, at this stage, that two parables have been joined together, for he begins to talk of a householder being vigilant lest a burglar come and rob his home. It almost sounds as though we were already at end of the year rather than in the blazing heat of an unusual British Summer. Vigilance and duty always go hand in hand in the Christian life and help us build up treasure in heaven in the sight of God.