20250828 ACCOUNTABILITY OF GOD’S STEWARDS
28 August 2025, Thursday, 21st Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
1 Thessalonians 3:7-13 |
Now we can breathe again, as you are still holding firm in the Lord
Brothers, your faith has been a great comfort to us in the middle of our own troubles and sorrows; now we can breathe again, as you are still holding firm in the Lord. How can we thank God enough for you, for all the joy we feel before our God on your account? We are earnestly praying night and day to be able to see you face to face again and make up any shortcomings in your faith.
May God our Father himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, make it easy for us to come to you. May the Lord be generous in increasing your love and make you love one another and the whole human race as much as we love you. And may he so confirm your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless in the sight of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus Christ comes with all his saints.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 89(90):3-4,12-14,17 |
Fill us with your love that we may rejoice.
You turn men back to dust
and say: ‘Go back, sons of men.’
To your eyes a thousand years
are like yesterday, come and gone,
no more than a watch in the night.
Fill us with your love that we may rejoice.
Make us know the shortness of our life
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Lord, relent! Is your anger for ever?
Show pity to your servants.
Fill us with your love that we may rejoice.
In the morning, fill us with your love;
we shall exult and rejoice all our days.
Let the favour of the Lord be upon us:
give success to the work of our hands.
Fill us with your love that we may rejoice.
Gospel Acclamation | Jn15:15 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I call you friends, says the Lord,
because I have made known to you
everything I have learnt from my Father.
Alleluia!
Or: | Mt24:42,44 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Stay awake and stand ready,
because you do not know the hour
when the Son of Man is coming.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 24:42-51 |
He is coming at an hour you do not expect
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Stay awake, because you do not know the day when your master is coming. You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what time of the night the burglar would come, he would have stayed awake and would not have allowed anyone to break through the wall of his house. Therefore, you too must stand ready because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
‘What sort of servant, then, is faithful and wise enough for the master to place him over his household to give them their food at the proper time? Happy that servant if his master’s arrival finds him at this employment. I tell you solemnly, he will place him over everything he owns. But as for the dishonest servant who says to himself, “My master is taking his time,” and sets about beating his fellow servants and eating and drinking with drunkards, his master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. The master will cut him off and send him to the same fate as the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.’
ACCOUNTABILITY OF GOD’S STEWARDS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 Th 3:7-13; Ps 90:3-4,12-14,17; Mt 24:42-51]
The Gospel today speaks about responsible stewardship. We are all called to stewardship in life according to the roles and responsibilities that God has entrusted to us. A steward is not only someone in leadership but also anyone given responsibility in any capacity. According to our talents, gifts, and circumstances, we are called to be faithful in the tasks assigned to us. We may be leaders, parents, or simply entrusted with a particular duty. Regardless of what we have been given, we must remain responsible at all times. In the Gospel, the Lord exhorts us, saying: “What sort of servant, then, is faithful and wise enough for the master to place him over his household to give them their food at the proper time? Happy that servant if his Master’s arrival finds him at this employment.” Why is this so?
Firstly, being responsible to our position is what we owe to the Lord. God has given us opportunities and gifts to serve Him and His people. We should express our gratitude by being diligent and resourceful in our work. We must never forget that we do not work for ourselves or for our own ambitions. When God gives us a task, it is always for the service of the larger community. As St. Paul reminds us: “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” (1 Cor 12:4-7) God entrusts us with tasks for the good of His people, just as in the Parable of the Servants. They were placed in charge of the Master’s household to ensure that it was cared for and managed well.
Secondly, we must be reminded that it is the Lord whom we serve. St. Paul also teaches us that whatever we do, it must be done for the Lord: “Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not only while being watched and in order to please them, but wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord. Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your masters, since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you serve the Lord Christ.” (Col 3:22-24) God expects us to care for the people entrusted to us: parents for their children, teachers for their students, doctors for their patients, managers for their workers, entrepreneurs for their organizations, and priests for their parishioners. When we serve the Lord well, He will empower us to do even more by increasing our capacity to give, just as He promised: “I tell you solemnly, he will place him over everything he owns.”
Thirdly, entry into the kingdom of God is not about settling an account based on what we have done or not done. It is about living a truly Christian life. Entering God’s Kingdom involves the whole person–his goodness, virtues, and love–a life that reflects Christ. We must not imagine God keeping a checklist of do’s and don’ts. Rather, being ready for the Kingdom means that our lives have been transformed from within. We are what we do each day. Our daily actions and thoughts reveal the kind of person we truly are. If we are kind, honest, generous, compassionate, and diligent, then we are bearing the likeness of Christ. Being a Christian is an identity, not merely a matter of doing. What we do flows from who we are as disciples of Christ.
For that reason, when Jesus warns us to be ready at all times, it is not so much keeping watch and speculating when the master would return or when the Lord will call us back to Him. In truth, we will never know the hour when He will call us back home. That is why we must, as Jesus reminds us: “Stay awake, because you do not know the day when your Master is coming. You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what time of the night the burglar would come, he would have stayed awake and would not have allowed anyone to break through the wall of his house. Therefore, you too must stand ready because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
To stay awake is what St Paul exhorts us in Romans when he speaks about living a life of grace: “Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of light; let us live honourably as in the day, not in revelling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarrelling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” (Rom 13:11-14) Likewise, in Galatians, he warns: “Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Gal 5:19-1) The Lord also said this of the lazy and irresponsible servant “who says to himself, ‘My master is taking his time,’ and sets about beating his fellow servants and eating and drinking with drunkards, his master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. The master will cut him off and send him to the same fate as the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.’
In the first reading, we hear of St Paul’s responsible stewardship in his missionary work. God appointed him to be the apostle to the Gentiles. In his letter to the Thessalonians, we see his love, affection, and pastoral care for the Christians. This letter reveals Paul’s deep concern for the Thessalonians, whom he had formed in faith and who were now facing trials and difficulties. As a caring leader, Paul sent Timothy to Thessalonica to strengthen and encourage them. He was greatly relieved when Timothy returned with the good news that the Thessalonians had resisted Satan’s temptations, endured persecution, and instead grew in faith, love, and in union with Paul. He assured them of his constant prayers and solidarity, saying: “How can we thank God enough for you, for all the joy we feel before our God on your account? We are earnestly praying night and day to be able to see you face to face again and make up any shortcomings in your faith.” Indeed, Paul rejoiced greatly when he heard that they were standing firm in the Lord.
At the same time, the heart of Paul is revealed in the prayer he prayed for the Thessalonians. Firstly, he sincerely hoped for the opportunity to visit them personally. Secondly, he prayed that they might grow in their love for one another, drawing from the love they had received from him and from God. Finally, he prayed that they would remain holy and blameless in God’s sight. St. Paul was truly a genuine leader, for we see in him a shepherd’s heart–caring deeply for all the Christians under his charge and for the communities he had established.
Indeed, in his letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul expressed his total commitment to his mission. He wrote: “Five times I have received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked; for a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from bandits, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers and sisters; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, hungry and thirsty, often without food, cold and naked. And, besides other things, I am under daily pressure because of my anxiety for all the churches.”
Indeed, St Paul left no stone unturned in his mission as an apostle. He remained faithful to his calling until his last breath. Writing to Timothy near the end of his life, he said: “As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” (2 Tim 4:6-8) Let us too imitate him and take heed of Christ’s warning in the parable. As the psalmist reminds us: “You turn men back to dust and say: ‘Go back, sons of men.’ To your eyes a thousand years are like yesterday, come and gone, no more than a watch in the night. Make us know the shortness of our life that we may gain wisdom of heart. Lord, relent! Is your anger for ever? Show pity to your servants.” Indeed, our life is short; let us live it well.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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