It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.
(Luke 12:37)
 

Luke 12:32-48

It is challenging to be constantly vigilant, expecting something to happen, yet not knowing what it is, and when it might occur. Some people go through life with a sense of foreboding, feeling insecure and distrustful of the future. For them, the world is not a place of promise but a space where they fear what might happen next.

Jesus is telling us that this need not be the case. We can look forward with hope and anticipation for whatever might come in the future. God is watching over us and helping us to be prepared for the future. I’m guessing that Jesus has a long-term future in mind – what the theologians call “eschatological” – or something that has begun already, but is not going to be completed in our lifetimes. Christians believe that God is benevolent, loving, and has a plan for our fulfilment.

If we go along with God’s plan, then our future happiness is assured. God promised the people of Israel in exile in Babylon: “For I know the plans I have for you… plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jer 29:11.) God does not want calamity to befall anyone or any people. God did not design us for that.

Of course, we need to have some resilience, because the world sometimes does not deliver what God desires for us. Circumstances can get out of control, particularly when politicians do not choose what is in the best interest of the common good. Families sometimes have dynamics which inadvertently become painful environments. Schools or workplaces can create victims of bullying and power struggles.

But God’s blessing is offered to those who keep their eyes on God. If we are awake to the movement of God in the world, to the Spirit of God present in ourselves, our families and colleagues, even our politicians, and we go along with the goodness, then our deepest fears are misplaced. In this jubilee year of hope, even in the face of apparent danger, let us keep our trust in God’s overall plan.

What causes me anxiety? To whom do I turn when things go wrong? How do I trust in God’s long-term plans for the world? 

Reflections by Peter Knox SJ

Lord,
Teach me to trust in you, to look forward to what you have planned for me and the people we love.
Remove from me any fear and foreboding when I 

cannot see the future. 
Amen.

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