Student Daily Reflection

“Much will be required of the person entrusted with much,
and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.” Luke 12:48

We have been entrusted with such an incredible abundance. We live in one of the few places in the world where we have clean, running water, cupboards full of food, and a bank account, much less any amount of expendable income. We even take for granted the luxury of reading this reflection on a computer that we probably own and did not have to take out a loan to buy. Apart from our material wealth, we have also been entrusted with the freedom to read this reflection as a form of practicing our chosen religion, which we do without the fear of physical persecution for doing so. We have been entrusted with the power to choose our own leaders, pursue an education, and live wherever we’d like.

There is no doubt that we have been entrusted with much. Now what is demanded of us?

We do not know the hour the Son of Man will come. Usually this idea is interpreted as the end of time or the Second Coming, however I like to see it another way. We should be greeting God whenever he appears in our lives through events and other people. Yes, we should be ready to greet God at the end of our lives, but that should be easy for us, because we have been greeting him all along. This brings to mind the service-based mentality presented in Matthew 25 in which Jesus informs us that “whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” At the hour we least expect it God will enter our lives through someone in need and we should be prepared to greet that person as though he/she were God himself.

That’s a tall order, I understand, but it definitely provides a new and intriguing outlook on life. I try to remember St. Ignatius of Loyola’s axiom of seeking God in all things throughout my daily life. Even the potential for God to be present in my list of “Things to Do Today”, my conversation with a classmate over lunch, or my walk to class on this beautiful autumn morning is enough to brighten my day and give purpose to the challenges I am struggling through right now. Seeking God in all things also necessitates looking for him in people around me. This idea makes me so much more appreciative of my interactions with others, since each is an opportunity to find God in that person.

This, my friends, is how we tie together the beginning and end of Jesus’ teaching in the today’s Gospel. We are undoubtedly blessed with more than we deserve and therefore understand that more will be expected of us. We can fulfill what is demanded of us, in part, by being appreciative of those gifts and actively seeking out the opportunities to use them to serve God when he appears in our lives.