Tuesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time Luke 12:35-38 Be Prepared, For the Lord Is Near
In today’s Gospel, Jesus calls us to be watchful: “Gird your loins and light your lamps. Be like servants who await their master’s return.” These words are not meant to frighten us but to awaken us. The Lord praises the servant who is ready. In the time of Jesus, workers would tuck up their long robes under a belt so they could work freely. And lamps had to be trimmed and replenished to keep burning. These images are a call to us: stay awake, stay ready, live in such a way that when God knocks, we can open to Him with joy.
What does this readiness mean?
First, to be girded and lamp lit. To be ready for service is to make wise choices. So often we get caught up in what seems urgent and neglect what is truly important—our relationships, our prayer, our vocation. Life is short, and no one knows the hour when the summons will come. Each day is a gift to choose well, to live with purpose, and to finish the work entrusted to us.
Second, to be open to him. God comes to us continually—through people, through events, through the quiet voice of the Spirit. If our hearts are hardened by bitterness or pride, we may miss Him. But if we allow him in, He can heal wounds, renew hope, and make us new.
Third, to be confident of his love. The most astonishing promise in today’s Gospel is this: the Master will serve those servants who are ready. Imagine it—the Lord of all stooping to wait on us! This is the heart of our faith: God’s love is not distant or cold; it is tender, watchful, and close.
So let us live ready—not in fear, but in hope. Trim the lamps, keep the heart open, and trust that when the Master comes, we will find ourselves embraced by his love.
Monday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time Or Optional Memorial of Saint Paul of the Cross, Priest [In the Dioceses of the United States] Luke 12:13-21 Greed Makes You Poor
In today’s Gospel, a man requests Jesus to resolve a dispute over inheritance. While it was usual in Palestine to bring these issues before a rabbi, Jesus chooses not to get involved in disputes over money. Instead, he uses the situation to teach us a lesson: the risks of greed and the real value of wealth.
Jesus tells the parable of the Rich Fool. He had riches, but he was not rich in God’s eyes. This parable teaches us three lessons.
First, share. Poverty is not about having little, but about refusing to give. A person who keeps everything for himself grows poor in heart. True wealth is found in sharing—our resources, our knowledge, even our time. A word of encouragement, a listening ear, a small act of kindness can enrich another’s life and our own.
Second, nothing is certain. Money cannot buy love, friendship, or meaning. I have met people with pockets full of cash but hearts weighed down by loneliness. Possessions come and go, but relationships endure: the love of a child, the companionship of a spouse, the presence of a faithful friend. These are treasures no thief can steal.
Third, be prudent. Life is not about storing things but about living each day well. Some things must never be negotiated: the love of your children, time with family, heartfelt conversations with friends, moments of prayer, the embrace of your parents, even rest for your own soul. These are priceless gifts, worth far more than gold.
The parable reminds us that greed isolates, but generosity opens us to God and to others. Let us ask the Lord for wisdom to live freely, to treasure what really matters, and to be “rich before God.”
Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time World Mission Sunday Luke 18:1–8 Pilgrims of Hope in Prayer and Mission
Today, as the Church throughout the world celebrates World Mission Sunday, the Gospel presents us with the parable of the persistent widow and the unjust judge. Jesus tells us this story to teach one essential lesson: we must always pray and never lose heart.
The widow in the parable has no wealth, no influence, no human power. She represents the poor, the forgotten, the voiceless. The judge, on the other hand, is corrupt, caring neither for God nor for people. By human standards, the widow has no chance of obtaining justice. Yet she does not give up. Her only weapon is persistence. She returns again and again, until the judge finally relents.
If such persistence can move even a corrupt judge, how much more will our loving Father listen to the cries of His children? This is the heart of the parable. God is not unjust; He does not grow tired of us. He hears our prayers, though His answers may come in ways we do not expect, or in times beyond our own. Jesus ends with a searching question: “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” That is the challenge for us—to keep praying, to keep believing, to keep witnessing, even when results are not immediate.
On this World Mission Sunday, as we celebrate the Jubilee Year 2025, is a time when we walk together as Pilgrims of Hope. Mission isn’t exclusive to priests, religious, or those who go to distant places; it is a universal calling for all the baptized. Every one of us is sent, and each of us is called to share the light of Christ with the world.
How do we live this mission? Like the widow, we may feel powerless in the face of so many challenges—persecutions on account of faith, poverty, violence, and division. Yet persistence in faith, hope, and love transforms hearts. Small acts of witness—an honest word at work, kindness to a neighbour, prayer for someone in need, forgiveness in a family—these are missionary acts. God takes our small seeds and makes them grow.
To be pilgrims of hope is to live simply, to reduce unnecessary wants, to build bridges, and to walk with others. Mission is not about doing extraordinary things but about being faithful in ordinary life.
Children and youth live out this mission by showing kindness at school and including those who are left out. Families live out their mission by praying together, forgiving one another, and welcoming others. Workers and professionals live by acting with integrity and compassion. The elderly and the sick live a mission by offering their prayers and sufferings for the Church. Priests and religious guide this mission by forming communities of hope and solidarity.
Dear friends, let us not become weary. Let us persevere in prayer, like the widow. Let us continue in mission, as pilgrims of hope. And may our lives, lived with faith and love, proclaim the Gospel to Hong Kong and to the ends of the earth.
全属于祢 
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