Tuesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Solidarity In Sin
Liturgical Cycle: C | Lectionary Cycle: I
Introduction
We are one in our weaknesses, one also in God’s love and in the salvation he offers us in Christ in the solidarity of grace. Sinners and saints at the same time, the enemy in us and paradise within us, we long to be saved by Christ now, to transcend our doubts, our different forms of selfishness, our sufferings, our divisions within ourselves and our separations from one another. Yet it is in this kind of life, within this torn human destiny, that Christ will save us, if with him we accept his life and grace.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
we experience every day that we are
a melting pot, at times a boiling pot,
of courage and cowardice,
of questions, hesitations, vulnerability,
of selfishness and generosity, of sin and grace.
God, grant that we may accept
our solidarity in sin,
to share the better our solidarity in the salvation,
which comes to us through your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Lord.
First Reading
Romans 5:12, 15b, 17-19, 20b-21
Brothers and sisters:
Through one man sin entered the world,
and through sin, death,
and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned.
If by that one person's transgression the many died,
how much more did the grace of God
and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ
overflow for the many.
For if, by the transgression of the one,
death came to reign through that one,
how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace
and the gift of justification
come to reign in life through the one Jesus Christ.
In conclusion, just as through one transgression
condemnation came upon all,
so, through one righteous act
acquittal and life came to all.
For just as through the disobedience of one man
the many were made sinners,
so, through the obedience of the one
the many will be made righteous.
Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more,
so that, as sin reigned in death,
grace also might reign through justification
for eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Responsorial Psalm
Romans 5:12, 15b, 17-19, 20b-21
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Burnt offerings or sin offerings you sought not;
then said I, "Behold I come."
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
"In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,
To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!"
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
May all who seek you
exult and be glad in you,
And may those who love your salvation
say ever, "The LORD be glorified."
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Be vigilant at all times and pray
that you may have the strength to stand before the Son of Man.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Be prepared, dressed for service, and keep your lamps lit
like people waiting for their master to return from a wedding. When he comes and knocks, they will open the door for him.
Happy are those servants whom the master finds alert when he arrives.
Truly, I tell you, he will put on an apron, have them sit at the table, and serve them. Blessed are those servants if he finds them awake when he comes at midnight or dawn!
Prayers of the Faithful
– That the Church may recognize that it is also a Church of sinners who make mistakes and need conversion, we pray:
– That priests and bishops may be dedicated and patient ministers of forgiveness and reconciliation, we pray:
– That we may acknowledge our sins and ask pardon for them, rather than seek easy excuses, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
we bring bread and wine before you,
food and drink for human life,
yet signs of our salvation in Christ,
signs that salvation is not to be sought
outside the realities of life.
God, make us understand
that we are to be saved as we are,
human, frail, in a life
that is not different from that of others,
but that is to be lived differently,
in the way Jesus lived it,
who is our Savior and our Lord for ever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
strengthened by your Son in this eucharist,
we do not ask for the grace to be harmless,
for then we would lose the capacity
of being valuable to you and to people.
Lord God, as we are one in our frailty,
may we also be one in your love and grace,
that we may accept life
with its risks and joys and sufferings
and that we may seek to make it meaningful
by the grace of him who has given us his body
and in the light of him who is our Savior,
Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Blessing
If we would accept more readily our solidarity in sin, our responsibility for evil in the world, many evils would be overcome and we would be more united also in justice and mercy, forgiveness and peace. May God make you more one in grace and bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTIONS
21 October 2025
Luke 12:35-38
Be Prepared, For the Lord Is Near
In today’s Gospel, Jesus calls us to be watchful: “Gird your loins and light your lamps. Be like servants who await their master’s return.” These words are not meant to frighten us but to awaken us. The Lord praises the servant who is ready. In the time of Jesus, workers would tuck up their long robes under a belt so they could work freely. And lamps had to be trimmed and replenished to keep burning. These images are a call to us: stay awake, stay ready, live in such a way that when God knocks, we can open to Him with joy.
What does this readiness mean?
First, to be girded and lamp lit. To be ready for service is to make wise choices. So often we get caught up in what seems urgent and neglect what is truly important—our relationships, our prayer, our vocation. Life is short, and no one knows the hour when the summons will come. Each day is a gift to choose well, to live with purpose, and to finish the work entrusted to us.
Second, to be open to him. God comes to us continually—through people, through events, through the quiet voice of the Spirit. If our hearts are hardened by bitterness or pride, we may miss Him. But if we allow him in, He can heal wounds, renew hope, and make us new.
Third, to be confident of his love. The most astonishing promise in today’s Gospel is this: the Master will serve those servants who are ready. Imagine it—the Lord of all stooping to wait on us! This is the heart of our faith: God’s love is not distant or cold; it is tender, watchful, and close.
So let us live ready—not in fear, but in hope. Trim the lamps, keep the heart open, and trust that when the Master comes, we will find ourselves embraced by his love.
Life is a vigil
Jesus’ lesson continues with the parable on the theme of vigilance. In the parable of the servants waiting for their master to return at night, the Lord teaches us, “Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes” (v. 37). Jesus presents yet another “Blessed” – other than the beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount. It is the beatitude of faithfully awaiting the Lord, of being ready, with an attitude of service.
The Lord comes to us each day, knocks at the door of our hearts. We are aware, that he comes to us not only through the Word of God and the Sacraments, but even more so, through the people around us. Are we prepared to open up and be at the service of the Lord? Jesus declares his beatitude for those who are prepared to serve him in the needy people around them.
With this parable, Jesus proposes life as a vigil, waiting in expectation of the call to eternity. We must be ready, awake and committed to serving others. And there is a huge promise for those who are blessed: In his kingdom, it will be God himself who will welcome us to his table. The Lord serves us at the table! This is happening each time we meet the Lord in prayer, or in serving the poor, and above all in the Eucharist, where he prepares a banquet to nourish us of his Word and of his Body.
The gospel calls us to "gird your loins". Pope Francis explains this as an image that recalls the attitude of the pilgrim, ready to set out on a journey. The Lord always walks with us and many times takes us by the hand to guide us, and lead us and make sure that we don't fall along this difficult journey. In fact, those who trust in God know that a life of faith is not something static, but is dynamic!
First He tells us to gird our loins and then we are asked to make sure that we keep our lamps lit. The Lamp that Jesus refers to is the lamp of faith in Jesus. We know, we've all had days that were true spiritual nights. The lamp of faith needs to be nourished in prayer and in listening to His word.
Pope Francis also gives us his tip to keep our lamps lit: He says, “I want to repeat something I've told you many times: always carry a small Gospel with you, in your pocket, in your bag, to take out and read at anytime. True faith opens the heart to ones neighbour and spurs us on towards concrete communion with our brothers and sisters, especially those who live in need.