Amen, Amen I Say to You.

Do you realize there is a code in the Gospels that helps us understand them? Remember when you were in school and the teacher said, “This is important. Write it down.” That was a cue that what was being taught would be on the test. The same is true in the Gospel. When we read Jesus’ words, “Amen, Amen I say to you,” or “Amen, I say to you,” or “Truly, I say to you,” that is a signal to pay attention. Whatever follows is essential. It must not be missed. It’s Jesus’ way of showing what is critical and vital for living out the Gospel.

We heard those words in today’s Gospel. “Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have the servants recline at table, and proceed to wait on them…Be sure of this: You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

This reading encourages us to stay vigilant and not become complacent. We don’t know when the Lord will come to us. We need to be careful not to limit the Lord or try to predict how He will reveal Himself to us. When God enters our lives, we might expect hearts, flowers, and angels singing. However, the one thing we can be certain of is that He will not come as we expect.  

The Lord appears in all forms. It is our call to remain open and perceptive, prepared to recognize Him even though we don’t know the day or the hour. He may come through people who are poor, difficult, angry, fearful, isolated, refugees, lonely, mentally ill, prisoners, or any other form of broken humanity. He will come as the demanding, the meek, the marginalized, and the boisterous. Most importantly, He often arrives in those we find most unappealing and those who test every bit of our patience.

It would be so much easier if God only appeared to us through patient, kind, grateful, and loving people. But that’s not how it works. Yes, God salts and peppers our lives with loving and compassionate individuals. We just can’t let our eyes stop there. Look broader and deeper— the Lord also presents Himself in difficult people and situations. Often, we think of challenging moments as “the cross we have to bear” rather than the grace we have been given.

When the Lord returns and finds us caring for His broken ones, He removes His cloak and serves us. He treats us with genuine gratitude and love. The Lord makes us chosen in God’s kingdom, and Jesus Himself pours out His full love and care on us.

As I write this, I am aware of the many ways you respond to God’s people. Whether through SVdP, the Knights, the Guild of Our Lady, or in other ways that we often don’t notice easily. Some of you bring communion to the sick and lonely; you say yes when called to help; you show up week after week with nothing but love in your hearts to teach our children. Perhaps you stand at the church doors, say good morning, and hold the door for someone carrying burdens you don’t know. But you give them the smile and words of welcome they might not otherwise receive. I saw a parishioner wash the office windows the other day, just to be helpful. You hold people’s hearts in your hands when they have lost someone they love. This is what the Gospel is about. It is who we are and who we are called to continue becoming. All of us are called, each in our own way, to be attentive to the coming of the Lord.

When we come together for Mass, the Lord Himself sets a table before us and serves us. He provides a Eucharistic feast. He is the gracious host of our Eucharistic gathering. Jesus himself is the greatest servant of the servants of God.  In humility, we serve God in those He sends us, and Jesus serves us with an everlasting Eucharistic meal.

—Gwen Coté