19TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR C)

1st Reading              Wisdom 18:6-9

Psalm                          33: 1&12. 18-19. 20 & 22 (R. 12b)

R:// "Blessed the people the Lord had chosen as his heritage"

2nd Reading         Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19 (shorter, 11:1-2,8-12)

Gospel                        Luke 12: 32-48 (shorter, 12: 35-40)

PREPARE FOR THE UNEXPECTED

Friends, Peace and Goodness! Today is the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). Let us say a few words about the readings for today. Our first reading is from Wisdom 18: 6-9, and the Gospel is from Luke 12: 32-48 (shorter version, 12: 35-40).

Let us start with the first reading and make a few preliminary comments. The first is that the book we are reading from, Wisdom (otherwise called "Wisdom of Solomon),  is one of the Deuterocanonical books, found in the Catholic and other Othodox Christians' official list of biblical books. This book, although part of the Old Testament, is written in Greek. Precisely, it was written for Jewish people living in ancient Greek and Roman empire (Greek-speaking Jews). Because Jews would include books written in Hebrew as part of their books (the Old Testament), the book of Wisdom would not make it into their list. However, when the Hebrew Old Testament was translated into Greek for disporean Jews and Jews who could not speak Hebrew, the Septuagint (or LXX), the Book of Wisdom was added. The Catholic list of biblical books takes the order from the Septuagint rather than the Hebrew Bible, which was limited. This is the reason why the Book of Wisdom may sound new to the first time hearer. Additionally, the book was written in Egypt, in Alexandria to be precise. Another criteria is that for a book to be in the Hebrew Old Testament, it has to be written in Israel. Clearly, Wisdom would not make it into the Hebrew Old Testament. 

The second comment is that, within the Church's choice of liturgical readings, we are still within the Wisdom and Poetic books. Last Sunday, we read from Ecclesiastes, one of the Wisdom books. This time, it is the Book of the Wisdom of Solomon. Talking about wisdom, the quintessential example is the man and King, Solomon. For today's text, we are reading towards the end of the book. 

The major parts of the Book of Wisdom deal with examples or stories taken from the Old Testament event of Israel in and out of Egypt to present to the Jew battling with his or her faith as he or she encountered a different culture. That Jew risks losing his or her faith. The idea is to tell that struggling Jew about how God (YHWH) provided and cared for his people during the Exodus. In a bit, the author tries to represent the Torah events in a Greek poetic language, the dominant expression of the day. Today's passage, particularly, falls within the 5th example — the death of the Egyptian first borns to the passage through the Sea of Reeds (or Red Sea). One reason why examples are given is to give clarity and understanding and increase hope and certainty. The precise example given today concerns the Passover. 

Let us consider two things for our reflection from the first reading. These two have to do with issues concerning our own preparedness because Passover was also an event of preparation. The first detail is that, "That night was made known beforehand to our fathers, so that they might rejoice in sure knowledge of the oaths in which they trusted" (Wis. 18:6). The issue here regards the knowledge of what you are going into. The knowledge of the ins and outs, the pros and cons of a thing is vital at the first stage. Always know what you are going into. This will help you to know the kind of preparation to make. The author tells us that the night of the Passover was told to the Jews in Egypt beforehand (Grk, proginōskō). Because of this, they rejoiced in what they were trusting in. What it means is that having known it gave them time to know what they are preparing for and trusting in. In fact, the Greek word translated as "trusted" is "PISTEŌ". This word could be translated as "knowledge", but that kind of knowledge is what propels faith and belief. Once you consider the ins and outs of what you have at your disposal and what you are going into, your level of PISTEŌ increases, and your hope and certainty rises. As you prepare and wait for your own redemption, always assess your choices and what you are going into. 

The second detail lies in Wisdom 18:8. Thus, "For by the same means by which you punished our enemies you called us to yourself and glorified us". Remember that the author is still talking about the night of the Passover. There are two cutting edges to everything; there is the destructive part, and there is the constructive part. God used the one and same event to punish the Egyptians and also glorified the Israelites. Within the context of our reflection today, we should understand that one's approach to a decision tells a lot. Do not think that some same events could prove salvific for all. What worked for someone may not work for you. Therefore, in preparation, as you assess what you are going into, ensure that you possess and make personal the path you wish to take. Do not copy a person's path. Be genuine. In whole, do not defer to a different culture and faith because that is not yours.

The Gospel, from Luke 12:32-48 (shorter, 12:35-40), continues the theme of preparation. Notice that we are still reading from the Gospel according to Luke. The reading is continuing, but with little breaks in the verses. This phenomenon is called "Lectio semi-continua". We are reading around the middle portions of the Gospel according to Luke.

In the Gospel, in verse 40, the author gave a warning, thus, "You also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect" (Lk. 12:40). One plausible implication of this profound statement is that there is an expected hour. Therefore, in the expected and unexpected hours, you should be found doing the same things in preparation. 

The first detail we should consider is "LET YOUR LOINS BE GIRDED" (Lk. 12:35). This is the language of preparedness. Remember that in Exodus 12:11, the way to eat the Passover is to first have your loins girded. Thus, "This is how you are to eat it: with your loins girded". The issue is that God is about to redeem His people, and a new Exodus is about to take place. We need to be prepared to move at a moment's notice. The Jewish fashion and clothing system has the people usually wearing long tunics. Faster movement is impeded by the length of the tunic or robe. To move faster, the robe is tucked in under the belt to shorten it. That way, one is sure of moving with ease and speed. This is someone ready to run. You can expect the Lord's salvation, but you can also not be ready to start. You should be in a state to take off once the whistle is blown. If you do not gird your loins, you will fall while trying to walk faster. In the final analysis, because you fell, you may rise late, in which case you will be counted as an Egyptian, and you may face destruction, even while expecting. 

The second detail from the Gospel lies in the first example Jesus gives about the master's return from the wedding. In Jewish tradition, weddings usually take very long hours. Sometimes, the groom arrives late. The joy and celebration could prolong the time. Therefore, as to the time a person would return home is not certain. Jesus says, if the master comes in the second watch or the third watch and finds the servants waiting for him, blessed are those servants. Jesus would be using a Roman timing system because the Romans were ruling at the time. The second watch is from 9 pm to midnight, and the third watch is from midnight to 3 am. These are the times when a person is tired, relaxed, and would not expect any arrival because it is late. Many would be asleep by now. However, know that the darkest hours are before dawn. The uncertain and risky moments are those before daylight. The inconvenience of the 2nd the 3rd watches points to when people will be asleep. The uncertainty about the time of arrival, 2nd or 3rd, also points to the master not specific. That should be a more reason why we should prepare. Otherwise, as servants, we would lose our job, be thrown out, or face severe punishment for keeping the master outside his own house. 

The last detail is Jesus' example about the thief's coming. The thief can come in the day or the night. In this way, one should be prepared to protect. There are certain graces we acquired from the Lord that need to be jealousy guarded. Protect those Graces by being prepared. The uncertainty of the thief's coming tells us to prepare. Any time can be the thief's time. Hence, any time can be Jesus' time. 

Pax et Bonum