Vigilant and faithful servants

JESUS said to his disciples: “Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

Then Peter said, “Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?” And the Lord replied, “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute the food allowance at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so. Truly, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the menservants and maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk, then that 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 unfaithful. That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”

REFLECTION BLESSED IS THAT SERVANT. While many of us may be “masters,” “lords,” or “mistresses” in our own households, before God we are all servants. The parable commends a “faithful and prudent” servant. This is the servant who is loyal to the master, who knows how to take care of and promote and defend the master’s estate, and who is not only after pay.

At the same time, this servant does not waste his time or even plunder his master’s goods when the master is away. He knows not when the master will return, so he carries out his responsibilities always diligently.

We have been entrusted with so much by the Lord: how have we been as his stewards and servants? When he comes in glory, will he find us fruitful, faithful, and wise?