Sunday Liturgy, August 10, 2025

Texts taken from the “Sulla Tua Parola” booklet, September-October 2025

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)th – 3rd week. salt.

First reading

From the Book of Wisdom (Wis 18:6-9)

The night [of liberation] was foretold to our ancestors, so that they might have courage, knowing well the oaths to which they had pledged their fidelity. Your people were indeed awaiting the salvation of the righteous and the ruin of their enemies. For just as you punished our adversaries, so you glorified us, calling us to yourself. For the holy children of the righteous offered sacrifices in secret and, with one accord, imposed this divine law upon themselves: to share alike in good things and dangers, while immediately singing the sacred praises of their ancestors. 

The word of God.

Commentary on the first reading

God is faithful to his promises and oaths. This was clearly demonstrated on the night of the liberation of the people of Israel from Egypt. God, therefore, does his part, and it is up to us to do ours. On many occasions, having faith means performing an act of courage in the merciful power of God, which manifests itself in utterly unimaginable ways and at utterly unimaginable moments. Who says that having faith means seeking reassuring answers that bewilder us and keep us calm in the face of suffering? Trusting in God is a sign of courage; it shows the ability to dare and even to be bold in the face of the often contrary evidence of circumstances. It is precisely there that God’s true friends are revealed.

Second reading

From the Letter to the Hebrews (Heb 11:1-2, 8-19)

Brothers and sisters, faith is the foundation of what is hoped for and evidence of what is not seen. Because of this faith our ancestors were approved by God. By faith, Abraham, when called by God, obeyed by setting out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance, and he set out without knowing where he was going. By faith, he lived as a stranger in the promised land, dwelling in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, coheirs of the same promise. For he was awaiting the city with firm foundations, whose architect and builder is God himself. By faith, Sarah herself, although beyond the age, received the ability to conceive, because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. Therefore, from one man, and moreover one marked by death, was born a posterity as numerous as the stars of the sky and as countless as the sand along the seashore. In faith all these died without having obtained the promised goods, but they saw them and greeted them from afar, declaring that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. Those who speak in this way show that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of the land from which they had come, they would have had the opportunity to return; now, instead, they aspire to a better homeland, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God. For he has prepared a city for them. By faith, Abraham, put to the test, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was ready to offer his only son, of whom it had been said: «Through Isaac descendants shall be named for you». He reasoned that God was able to raise even from the dead; therefore he received him back as a symbol. 

The word of God.

Commentary on the second reading

The second reading, taken from chapter 11 of the Letter to the Hebrews, tells us that the story of Abraham and his family concretely shows what it means to truly trust in God. How many times in our lives do we notice limitations or situations that seem to indicate that certain obstacles cannot be overcome? Yet God can do what seems impossible to us. Abraham immediately understood this truth, and so he made it the light that illuminated his steps and his choices. For this reason, he became the father of a multitude of people in the centuries to come. He understood that if God has a plan of salvation for us, nothing and no one can hinder it. Believing this already means entering into God’s perspective and seeing what others cannot see. We are great, then, to the extent that we believe in God and give credence to his word.

Gospel

From the Gospel according to Luke (Lk 12:32-48)

At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: «Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief reaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be. Be ready, with your belts fastened and your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding, so that when he comes and knocks, they may open to him immediately. 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 serve them. And should he come in the middle of the night or before dawn and find them prepared, blessed are they! Understand 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?». The Lord replied: «Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to give them their allowance of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 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, that servant’s master will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the unfaithful. The servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations or act in accord with his will shall receive a severe beating; the one who did not know it, but acted in a way deserving of a beating, shall receive a lesser one. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more demanded of the person entrusted with more».

The word of the Lord.

Commentary on the Gospel

It is pointless to expect worldwide success or vast crowds of people. Throughout history, Jesus’ disciples are destined to be a little flock. But small does not mean helpless. This means that with precisely that small number of people, Christ can set the world ablaze with his word and his love, through the cooperation and example of those who belong to this small group of believers. The reward of the kingdom of heaven is an image of God’s unquestionable will, which grants his favor according to criteria that we are unable to understand. Therefore, we should not be dismayed if the Christian message is lost amid indifference or contempt: God knows how to ensure that this word touches the hearts of many people and brings light into their lives.