Daily Scripture Reflection & Prayer: August 28, 2025

Date: Memorial of St. Augustine

Scripture Text:  Matthew 24:42-51

Jesus said to his disciples:

"Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.

"Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household to distribute to them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so. Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is long delayed,' and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with drunkards, the servant's master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth."

Breaking the text open – background and summary:

Today’s gospel reading recounts Jesus’ exhortation to us, His disciples, to “stay awake!” Jesus reminds us that the timing of our end to time on earth is not ours to choose or even know, so we must be ready, we must remain faithful and vigilant.

Meditating on the text with personal questions:

Do I live each day as if it could be my last? Do I waste time? Do I waste opportunities to get myself together spiritually? Am I living as if I have all the time in the world?

Praying:

LORD, You are the creator of all goodness that we experience, that we possess, that we are. Among your gifts is that of time, a gift you give us freely but without guarantees. Send the Spirit to stir within us the sense of restlessness for You and life with You that will prompt us to live more fully the life You created us to live. Grant that we may be ready when the time comes to stand before your beloved Son and account for our lives. We ask this in the name of your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.