Daily Catholic Lectio. Sun, 10 Aug ‘25. Are We Takers or Givers?

Daily Catholic Lectio

Sun, 10 Aug ‘25

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Wisdom 18:6-9. Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19. Luke 12:32-48

Are We Takers or Givers?

1. God’s Saving Work and Our Response

The first reading reminds us that Israel’s salvation did not come by their own efforts but by God’s boundless mercy. All they needed to do was entrust their hearts to Him.

In the second reading, the Letter to the Hebrews defines faith as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” and calls us to set our hearts firmly on the unseen promises of God.

2. The Gospel’s Two Calls

Today’s Gospel has two sections: “Do not be afraid” – an invitation to release anxiety and misplaced security in wealth. The watchful servant – a call to be ready and alert for the Master’s return.

Anxiety makes us live in the wounds of the past or the fears of the future, leaving no energy for the present. Jesus tells us: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Lk 12:34). The real question is: What is my treasure? If my heart is divided among many “treasures,” I will be restless, exhausted, and unprepared.

3. Takers and Givers

Every human life has two impulses – to take and to give. The taker in us asks in every situation: “What will I get?” He breeds envy, rivalry, comparison, and division. The giver in us moves us to share – love, friendship, mercy, compassion, sacrifice. Both are present in us, but we must decide which one will lead our lives.

Jesus’ words, “Sell your possessions and give”, invite us to loosen our grip on things. We are born with closed fists – our first instinct of insecurity. But faith opens our hands, because our safety is not in possessions but in God’s providence.

4. Living in the Present with Open Hands

When we cling to wealth, status, or control, we live outside the present moment. But trust in God frees us to live today. This is the watchfulness Jesus calls for – a heart unburdened by fear, free to serve generously. We are only stewards, not owners, of what we have. Like a baton in a relay race, everything will pass to another. Letting go is the only way to cross the finish line.

5. What Really Matters

Author James Patterson compares life to juggling five balls: money, family, health, friends, and integrity. Money is like a rubber ball – drop it, and it bounces back. The other four are glass – if dropped, they crack or shatter.

Today (10 August) we also mark Dalit Liberation Sunday. It is a day to recommit ourselves to justice and equality, ensuring that the dignity and rights of the marginalised are upheld, as God desires.

Conclusion

Jesus calls us to move from being takers to being givers – to trust God’s care more than our possessions, to live ready for His coming, and to treasure what lasts forever. Where our treasure is, there will our heart be.

Lord Jesus, free my heart from the grip of fear and greed. Make me a faithful steward and a joyful giver. May my treasure be in You alone, so that my heart is always ready for Your Kingdom. Amen.

Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi

Archdiocese of Madurai

Missionary of Mercy