Reflection From

Fr. John

August 10, 2025

Brothers and sisters, in what or who do we place our faith? St. Paul in the Second Reading mentions, “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) The Lord calls us to live our lives of faith and trust in Him.

In the Gospel this week, He mentions, “Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.” (Luke 12:37) We are meant to be prepared and ready. Jesus mentions that we are to have our loins girt and our lamps lit! (Luke 12:35) He is alluding here to passages in the Old Testament that refer to readiness for action and service. To have your loins girded meant to have your aprons on and to be ready to depart quickly. This refers to both our spiritual disposition and readiness to follow Christ wherever He may prompt us.

Most likely this phrase originated with the ancient Israelites during the first Passover. The Lord told them to be ready for a quick departure from Egypt to the promised land. He told them to have their belts fastened and sandals on. Jesus further mentions having our lamps lit as a sign of watchfulness and preparedness.

Through our Baptism, we are each imbued with the theological virtues of faith, hope and love. These flames of divine love, we are meant to keep burning brightly throughout our lives. Participation in the Sacramental life of the Church, attendance at Sunday Mass, regular Confession, daily prayer, are all ways to keep this love of God burning within us.

However, it is not always easy to live a life of faith. We can easily find ourselves buffeted and weighed down by different cares, anxieties or feelings of despair prevalent in our culture today. In these moments of difficulty it is good to remember that we are not alone. We are one Body in Christ, members of the Church. Even Jesus’ early disciples and the Apostles faced many different hardships and challenges. From persecution by both the government at the time and the religious authorities, the Apostles’ preaching of the Gospel message was not always met with acceptance. They didn’t allow this to discourage them and continued to proclaim the kingdom of God and the forgiveness of sins wherever they went.

Through their writings, they urged the early Christian communities to continue in their practice of the faith. St. Paul in his Second Letter to the Corinthians mentions, “for we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7) What are the difficulties and challenges we are facing? How is the Lord calling us to place our trust and faith in Him? How can we grow in those virtues of faith, hope and love this week? May we ask the Lord to increase His love within us and to help us on our journey of faith. May he help us to use our time wisely and to grow in love of Him through the reception of the Sacraments. For truly Christ tells us, “You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” (Luke 12:40)

Father John

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