Nineteenth Sunday Homily in the Ordinary Time Year C

NINETEENTH SUNDAY HOMILY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR C

Wis 18: 6-9 Heb 11: 1-2, 8-19 (or 11: 1-2, 8-12) Lk 12: 32-48 (or 12: 35-40)

Integrating Our Faith into Our Lives

Preparedness; Readiness for the Lord’s Coming; Let Go and Let God!; Urgency and Watchfulness; Trust in God.

HOMILY INTRODUCTION

Today’s readings invite us to live a life of active faith, a faith that’s not merely spoken on Sundays, but integrated into our daily actions, priorities, and choices. The theme challenges us to ask: Is our faith truly part of our life—or just a part of our schedule?

The Book of Wisdom (Wis 18:6–9) recalls how the people of Israel, during their night of deliverance, were not sleeping in fear, but watching with hope and trusting God’s promise. Their faith shaped their actions. They were spiritually awake.

In Hebrews 11:1–2, 8–19, we are given the shining example of Abraham—the father of faith—who obeyed God even when he did not see the outcome. He journeyed in trust, believing in God’s promise despite the uncertainty. Faith, as Scripture says, is the “assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

Then in the Gospel (Luke 12:32–48), Jesus speaks of watchfulness and readiness. He reminds us that the Son of Man will come at an hour we do not expect. We are not to be anxious, but vigilant. “Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning.” Faith, therefore, is not passive waiting—it’s active readiness.

Our modern lives are full of distractions and noise. But Jesus invites us to trust in the Father’s care, to let go of anxiety, and to “sell your possessions and give to the poor”—not just metaphorically, but to truly detach from false securities and live lives rooted in heaven.

To integrate our faith is to live as though Christ is already among us—because He is. Let us prepare not just for His second coming, but for His daily coming in our hearts, our neighbor’s needs, and the moments that test our trust.

1st Reading – Wisdom 18:6-9

⁶ The night of the passover was known beforehand to our fathers, that, with sure knowledge of the oaths in which they put their faith, they might have courage.

⁷ Your people awaited the salvation of the just and the destruction of their foes.

⁸ For when you punished our adversaries, in this you glorified us whom you had summoned.

⁹ For in secret the holy children of the good were offering sacrifice and putting into effect with one accord the divine institution.

Responsorial Psalm – Psalms 33:1, 12, 18-19, 20-22

R. (12b) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

¹ Exult, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is fitting.
¹² Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

¹⁸ See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
¹⁹ To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

²⁰ Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield.
²² May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us
who have put our hope in you.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

2nd Reading – Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19

Brothers and sisters:
¹ Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.
² Because of it the ancients were well attested.

⁸ By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; he went out, not knowing where he was to go.

⁹ By faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs of the same promise;

¹⁰ for he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and maker is God.

¹¹ By faith he received power to generate, even though he was past the normal age -and Sarah herself was sterile- for he thought that the one who had made the promise was trustworthy.

¹² So it was that there came forth from one man, himself as good as dead,
descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sands on the seashore.

¹³ All these died in faith. They did not receive what had been promised but saw it and greeted it from afar and acknowledged themselves to be strangers and aliens on earth,

¹⁴ for those who speak thus show that they are seeking a homeland.

¹⁵ If they had been thinking of the land from which they had come, they would have had opportunity to return.

¹⁶ But now they desire a better homeland, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

¹⁷ By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was ready to offer his only son,

¹⁸ of whom it was said, “Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name.”
He reasoned that God was able to raise even from the dead, and he received Isaac back as a symbol.

Or Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-12

Brothers and sisters:
¹ Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.
² Because of it the ancients were well attested.

⁸ By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; he went out, not knowing where he was to go.

⁹ By faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs of the same promise;

¹⁰ for he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and maker is God.

¹¹ By faith he received power to generate, even though he was past the normal age -and Sarah herself was sterile- for he thought that the one who had made the promise was trustworthy.

¹² So it was that there came forth from one man, himself as good as dead,
descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sands on the seashore.

Alleluia – Matthew 24;42A, 44

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
^42A Stay awake and be ready!
⁴⁴ For you do not know on what day your Lord will come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

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MORAL STORY – The Night Watchman and the Master’s Return

Once, there was a night watchman in a large estate. He was told that the master would return sometime in the coming weeks, but no one knew the exact day. While others relaxed, the watchman remained vigilant every night—sweeping the front steps, lighting lanterns, and checking the gates.

Days passed. Weeks passed. The others laughed at him. But one night, unexpectedly, the master returned.

Seeing the house in order and the watchman at his post, the master said, “Blessed are you. You were ready, even when others were not. From now on, I put you in charge of my entire household.”

Moral: True faith isn’t shown in words, but in being ready when no one is watching.

📜 10 Powerful Bible Verses on Faith, Readiness, and Trust

Hebrews 11:1 – “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Luke 12:35 – “Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart… and He will make straight your paths.”
Matthew 24:44 – “You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
Romans 8:25 – “But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”
1 Thessalonians 5:6 – “So then, let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.”
Isaiah 40:31 – “Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength.”
Psalm 27:14 – “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage.”
2 Corinthians 5:7 – “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
Revelation 3:11 – “I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.”

😂 10 Religious Jokes – Faith, Readiness, and Trust

Priest: “The Lord is coming soon!”
Parishioner: “Quick! Hide the remote and the snacks!”
A child asked, “When is Jesus coming back?”
Dad: “No one knows.”
Child: “Then why doesn’t He text us first?”
Jesus: “Be ready, for I will come like a thief in the night.”
Me: installs heavenly CCTV system.
Pastor: “Faith without action is dead.”
Congregant: “Then my treadmill must be resurrected.”
Man: “Lord, give me patience right now!”
God: “Wait for it…”
Jesus knocks.
We peek out: “Just a sec, Lord! I’m still in my pajamas!”
Church sign: “Jesus is coming. Look busy.”
A man said, “I’ve scheduled Jesus’ return on my Google Calendar… right after my vacation.”
Mid-sermon alarm rings.
Pastor: “Behold! The Lord’s reminder!”
A woman said, “I’m always prepared for the Lord.”
Her friend whispered, “She’s got communion wafers in her purse!”

💬 10 Great Sayings from Saints and Thinkers on Faith and Watchfulness

St. Augustine: “Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.”
Mother Teresa: “God doesn’t require us to succeed, He only requires that you try.”
St. John Paul II: “Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises.”
St. Padre Pio: “Pray, hope, and don’t worry.”
C.S. Lewis: “Relying on God has to begin all over every day, as if nothing had yet been done.”
St. Teresa of Ávila: “Let nothing disturb you… all things are passing; God never changes.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer: “Being a Christian is less about cautiously avoiding sin than about courageously doing God’s will.”
St. Ignatius of Loyola: “Act as if everything depended on you; trust as if everything depended on God.”
Corrie Ten Boom: “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”
St. Francis de Sales: “Do not look forward in fear to the changes in life; rather, look to them with full hope.”

Gospel – Luke 12:32-48

Jesus said to his disciples:
³² “Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.

³³ Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy.

³⁴ For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.

³⁵ “Gird your loins and light your lamps

³⁶ and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.

³⁷ 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.

³⁸ And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants.

³⁹ 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.

⁴⁰ You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

⁴¹ Then Peter said, “Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?”

⁴² 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?

⁴³ Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so.

⁴⁴ Truly, I say to you, the master will put the servant in charge of all his property.

⁴⁵ But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk,

⁴⁶ then that servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish the servant severely and assign him a place with the unfaithful.

⁴⁷ That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely;

⁴⁸ 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.”

Homily

Imagine that a catastrophe has occurred that is so great that our knowledge of the natural sciences is all completely lost. Physicists have been killed, books destroyed, laboratories sacked. All that is left are fragments, bits and pieces of theories, experimental equipment whose use has been forgotten, half-chapters of books, single pages from articles. Some of the scientific terminology survives, but its meaning is largely lost. Heated debates develop over scientific concepts that are only dimly understood.

That is what has in fact happened – not to science, but to our understanding of the language of religion. People continue to use many of its key expressions, but have – largely, if not entirely – lost their comprehension of many aspects of religion. Charity now typically means patronage of the poor by the well-off. Love means what goes on between movie stars, off and on screen. Service equals unpleasant menial duties or one pays a bill. Redemption is the process by which you get value for your stamps. The supernatural is that which has to do with hobgoblins and spooks. Faith is believing what is not so.

How different the Church’s definitions! The term “faith”, for example, is so important to the Church that there isn’t one definition, but many! The one in today’s letter to the Hebrews, written for Jewish converts to Christianity, is a good one. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen (v. 1). If the object of faith is seen or known by experience, it isn’t faith; but faith is more than mere opinion, because God’s own assurances are behind it. So even when we don’t understand the events of our lives, we have faith that God will fulfil His promises to us.

Faith entails leaving behind all things that are less than God in order to be able to accept the God Who contains all things. Even all science rests on a basis of faith, for it assumes the permanence and uniformity of natural laws – a thing that can’t be demonstrated. So the person of faith goes beyond the humdrum world of the everyday into a new vision and adventure. Faith goes a new outlook, a new set of values, a new world of meaning. It has an excitement analogous to the world of sports, from which the letter to the Hebrews derives so much of its imagery. (Its sports imagery is perhaps one of the reasons why this letter is wrongly attributed to St Paul, who often used such imagery.) Faith is backed by the best evidence in the world – God’s word.

Most of the rest of the reading from the letter to the Hebrews is an illustration of its definition of faith. Faith puts us into the world of such First Testament models as Abraham and his wife Sarah. God promised Abraham that he would father a son through whom his descendants would be as numerous as the stars. Because it was God speaking, the couple believed. But they were in the dark as to how and when God would fulfil His promise.

As time wore on, they thought of several cultural solutions offered to childless couples of their time: adopting the first most trusted slave of the household, for example, or having offspring by Sarah’s maid-servant. But God made it clear that none of these, though acceptable to their culture, was to be their route, and as they waited they relied on their confident assurance concerning what they hoped for. Only when their confident assurance was stretched to the limit – when Sarah was long past the age for childbearing and Abraham as good as dead – did God fulfil His promise of so many years earlier.

Abraham’s faith wasn’t according to the principle of most people, who, cautious and comfort-loving, put safety first; his faith went into the unknown, where it couldn’t see the end of the path. Abraham did everything God wanted of him – and, sure enough, ultimately his wife conceived and his son Isaac was born. Then, when God asked him to leave the comforts of his home-town Ur in the Chaldean mountains for what came to be known as the Promised Land and endure all the problems of a stranger in a strange land, he did it – even though he wasn’t sure where God was leading him. God, to test him even further, some years later asked him to give his young son Isaac as a living sacrifice. Despite his hope that through Isaac he would have descendants, he prepared to do as God asked. It was only at the last moment that God prevented him from going through with his sacrifice.

We, like Abraham, should let go and let God! Some researchers in India wanted to keep a monkey out of the trees and on the ground for various tests they wanted to perform. Knowing that the monkey loved coconuts and peanuts, they hollowed out a coconut, filled it with peanuts, and put it in a place where the monkey would be sure to come upon it. When the monkey did, he put his hand inside and grabbed hold of the peanuts. This kept the monkey out of the trees, but they couldn’t get the monkey to let go of the peanuts so he could get his hand out of the coconut. It took the researchers several hours and many subterfuges to get him to let go. We are often like that! With regard to what holds us back, St John of the cross said that it doesn’t matter if a bird is shackled by a chain or a thread. So long as its movement’s thwarted, the bird isn’t free.

God tests the faith of all. Today’s First Reading is an example from the last book of the First Testament to be written – the Book of Wisdom, written less than a hundred years before Christ. As with the letter to the Hebrews, it was written for people who were tempted to abandon their faith. Its author wrote to the Jews in Alexandria in Egypt that, rather than the skeptical and secular attitudes of the pagans around them with whom they were having frequent contact, the Israelites should be characterized by courage and joy (v. 6).

The Book of Wisdom reminded the Jews of a sign of faith and hope for all time. The “you” of the passage refers to God, to Whom this excerpt is an ancient prayer of thanks for deliverance. The “night” to which the reading refers was the night of the Passover – the night on which the angel of death destroyed the first-born of the Egyptians but passed over the homes of the Hebrews, the night on which those who were prepared were saved.

Today’s Gospel urges a similar attitude for Christians. Its two stories tell us to be ready for the Lord’s coming into our lives. They begin with the servants awaiting their master’s return during a wedding. In our Lord’s time, on the day of the wedding the bridesmaids assembled at the house of the bride. After sunset the bridegroom, accompanied by his male friends went into the bride’s house, where they were greeted by the bride and her bridesmaids, and then both parties returned together in a joyous procession that was illumined by lamps or torches, to the wedding feast in the house of the bridegroom. No one knew the exact time when the bridegroom would arrive. Our Lord then tells us – not without humour – that he will come into our lives like the unexpected arrival of a thief. How would we like him to find us? Certainly at peace with everyone and with ourselves.

Finally comes our Lord’s story of the steward. This man’s first mistake was doing what he liked while his master was away. We make the same mistake all the time. We do it every time we faithlessly divide our lives into compartments, like the sacred and the sacred and the secular. We deceive ourselves if we think that we can give one part of our lives to God and another part to worldly pursuit. The secular penetrates the sacred, and the sacred the secular. The steward’s second mistake was in thinking he had plenty of time to put things right before the master would return. Those who have thought about it even a little realize that life is short and the time is now.

To retain a vibrant faith, Jesus makes three demands of his followers. First, we are to share with the needy (v. 33f.); the only worthwhile treasure is that which awaits us in heaven. Secondly, we are to be vigilant, prepared, and living lives that are integrated by our faith. And thirdly, whatever our task in life, we are to carry it our faithfully and responsibly in a spirit of service.

The faith of Abraham caused him to leave familiar territory and later to consider sacrificing his only son. The faith of Moses and the Israelite caused them to pull up stakes in the middle of the night and leave Egypt. Jesus was the faith – filled person par excellence. To become like all of them, our faith must be renewed and deepened daily. We battle constantly in the face of non-belief and apathy.

At the heart of Christian faith is the notion that God, who called me by name from eternity, made me unique, and loves me with a love that is infinite. But, as we said in the beginning, we aren’t living in an “Age of Faith”. That time did exist in the Western world many hundreds of years ago, when everything was at one with Christian faith- one’s peer group, one’s family, the marketplace, and the world of entertainment. Today, we must be constantly on our guard to preserve our faith and to find the strength and courage to share its light with those who don’t understand it.

🕊️ HOMILY CONCLUSION

As we reflect on today’s message, Jesus calls us not only to believe in God but to live as if we truly believe—in our choices, our priorities, and our daily attitudes. The faithful servant is not the one who simply waits passively, but the one who lives actively in love, justice, mercy, and vigilance.

Abraham’s journey of faith, the Israelites’ night of watchfulness, and the servant who kept the lamp burning all show us that real faith is readiness—not based on fear, but on joyful hope. Integrating our faith into our lives means waking up every day with a spiritual sense of urgency and expectation, letting go of fear and control, and trusting that God is always faithful.

So let us ask ourselves: If Christ were to knock today, would He find us ready—not only in belief, but in action? May our faith be a living flame, and our lives a testimony of trust in the One who never fails us.

🙏 INTERCESSORY PRAYERS

Presider:
Trusting in God’s promises and seeking His grace to live our faith fully, let us bring our prayers before Him:

1. For the Church –
That she may remain vigilant in prayer and faithful in action, guiding all people to live with hope and spiritual readiness.
We pray to the Lord.
R: Lord, hear our prayer.

2. For leaders of nations –
That they may govern with wisdom and justice, seeking peace, especially for those in war-torn and anxious regions.
We pray to the Lord.
R: Lord, hear our prayer.

3. For Christians everywhere –
That we may integrate our faith into our daily choices, trusting in God’s plan and living in joyful watchfulness.
We pray to the Lord.
R: Lord, hear our prayer.

4. For those living in fear or anxiety –
That they may learn to let go and let God guide their hearts, finding comfort in His loving care.
We pray to the Lord.
R: Lord, hear our prayer.

5. For families and communities –
That they may be strengthened in faith, united in love, and attentive to the needs of each member.
We pray to the Lord.
R: Lord, hear our prayer.

6. For the poor, the forgotten, and the suffering –
That they may experience God’s love through our works of mercy, compassion, and justice.
We pray to the Lord.
R: Lord, hear our prayer.

7. For our parish community –
That we may be found faithful in both small and great things, living as good and watchful servants of God.
We pray to the Lord.
R: Lord, hear our prayer.

8. For the faithful departed –
That they may now rest in the peace of God, especially those who lived in faith and longed for His coming.
We pray to the Lord.
R: Lord, hear our prayer.

Presider:
God of all hope and promise, help us to remain watchful and faithful as we await your coming. Strengthen our trust and make our hearts ready to welcome You each day. Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.