Saint Monica — Memorial (feria readings)
First Reading
1 Corinthians 1:1–9
I, Paul, appointed by God to be an apostle, together with brother Sosthenes, send greetings to the church of God in Corinth, to the holy people of Jesus Christ, who are called to take their place among all the saints everywhere who pray to our Lord Jesus Christ; for he is their Lord no less than ours. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ send you grace and peace.
I never stop thanking God for all the graces you have received through Jesus Christ. I thank him that you have been enriched in so many ways, especially in your teachers and preachers; the witness to Christ has indeed been strong among you so that you will not be without any of the gifts of the Spirit while you are waiting for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed; and he will keep you steady and without blame until the last day, the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, because God by calling you has joined you to his Son, Jesus Christ; and God is faithful.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 144(145):2–7
I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
I will bless you day after day
and praise your name for ever.
The Lord is great, highly to be praised,
his greatness cannot be measured.
I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
Age to age shall proclaim your works,
shall declare your mighty deeds,
shall speak of your splendour and glory,
tell the tale of your wonderful works.
I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
They will speak of your terrible deeds,
recount your greatness and might.
They will recall your abundant goodness;
age to age shall ring out your justice.
I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia!
Be watchful and ready:
you know not when the Son of Man is coming.
Alleluia!
Gospel
Matthew 24:42–51
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Stay awake, because you do not know the day when your master is coming. You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what time of the night the burglar would come, he would have stayed awake and would not have allowed anyone to break through the wall of his house. Therefore, you too must stand ready because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
‘What sort of servant, then, is faithful and wise enough for the master to place him over his household to give them their food at the proper time? Happy that servant if his master’s arrival finds him at this employment. I tell you solemnly, he will place him over everything he owns. But as for the dishonest servant who says to himself, “My master is taking his time,” and sets about beating his fellow servants and eating and drinking with drunkards, his master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. The master will cut him off and send him to the same fate as the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.’
Reflection
Paul begins his letter to the Corinthians by naming grace before addressing failure. This community has serious problems, yet he first recognises it as the Church of God: a people made holy in Christ, enriched with spiritual gifts and called into fellowship with the Son. Their identity does not rest upon an illusion of perfection. It rests upon the God who has called them and who remains faithful.
That faithfulness gives Christian waiting its foundation. Paul speaks of believers awaiting the revelation of Jesus Christ, but this waiting is neither anxious speculation nor passive delay. God has given his people gifts to be exercised while they wait. The Catechism teaches that the charisms of the Spirit are given for the building up of the Church and the good of others (CCC 799–801). Grace is not private spiritual property; it equips us to serve.
The psalm widens this calling across generations. One age tells another of God’s works, goodness and justice. Faith is handed on not only through explanations but through lives that make God’s faithfulness credible. Praise becomes testimony: people remember what God has done, speak of it honestly and allow that memory to sustain hope in those who come after them.
Jesus then asks what kind of servant the Master will find when he returns. The faithful servant is not distinguished by an ability to predict the hour. He is found giving the household its food at the proper time. Watchfulness is therefore moral and practical. It means attending to the responsibility before us, especially where another person’s welfare has been placed in our hands.
The dishonest servant interprets the Master’s delay as permission to become careless, indulgent and violent. His failure exposes a dangerous distortion of authority: instead of serving the household, he uses his position against it. Christ’s warning reaches beyond obvious cruelty. Whenever responsibility becomes a means of controlling others, avoiding duty or pursuing comfort at their expense, we have stopped living as servants who expect to answer to the Master.
Christian vigilance does not require fear of every passing moment. It calls for perseverance in love. The Church lives between Christ’s Ascension and his return, remaining watchful because the time of fulfilment is known only to the Father (CCC 672). Hope enables us to entrust the future to God while acting faithfully in the present (CCC 1817–1821).
Saint Monica gives this watchfulness a recognisably human face. She could not force the conversion for which she longed, nor could she dictate God’s timing. She could pray, remain present and refuse to let disappointment harden into despair. Her perseverance was not passive resignation; it was love disciplined by hope.
These readings leave us with a searching question: if Christ came today, what would he find us doing with the gifts, people and responsibilities entrusted to us? The answer is formed through ordinary choices—speaking truthfully, feeding another’s need, completing honest work, practising patience and refusing to misuse power. God is faithful; our response is to remain at the work of faithful love.
One line to carry today:
Readiness for Christ is measured by the faithfulness of what he finds us doing.
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