A Meditation for Feria Tertia Infra Hebdomadam V post Octavam Pentecostes
Readings: Sirach 31:8–11 | Luke 12:35–40
In the quiet days following the exuberant joys of Pentecost and Corpus Christi, Holy Mother Church leads us once more into the school of sanctity, where daily fidelity and hidden virtue are honored in the sight of God. On this Tuesday in the fifth week after the Octave of Pentecost, the readings from Sirach 31:8–11 and Luke 12:35–40 form a harmonious meditation on watchful perseverance, interior detachment, and the blessedness of a faithful servant.
“Blessed is the rich man that is found without blemish: and that hath not gone after gold.”
(Sirach 31:8)
The sacred author of Sirach holds up a man not merely rich in material goods, but wealthy in virtue—one who, despite possessing abundance, is not possessed by it. His hands may handle gold, but his heart is not corrupted by it. The blessedness here is not measured by worldly standards, but by what St. Augustine called the “order of love” (ordo amoris), in which God is loved above all else, and all other things are loved in Him.
St. John Chrysostom, in his homilies on wealth and poverty, remarked:
“Riches are not forbidden, nor is wealth condemned, but the greedy desire, the servile affection for riches—that is what defiles the soul.”
(Homily on 1 Timothy)
This echoes the heart of Sirach’s wisdom. The truly virtuous man, though entrusted with much, is found “without blemish” because he is interiorly free. He governs his passions and curbs avarice through fear of the Lord and love of neighbor. His memory, the Scripture says, shall not perish; his works shall declare his praise in the congregation. He stands as a type of Joseph of Arimathea or Cornelius the Centurion—men of means, yet full of faith and righteous deeds.
From this noble image of virtue, the Gospel leads us to our Lord’s parable in Luke 12:35–40:
“Let your loins be girt, and lamps burning in your hands.”
(Luke 12:35)
Here, Christ speaks as the Master Who has gone to the wedding feast, commanding His servants to watch for His return. The readiness He enjoins is spiritual vigilance—the vigilant charity of a soul that burns with the oil of good works and stands clothed in the garment of sanctifying grace.
The Church Fathers often interpreted this “girding of loins” and “burning lamps” as metaphors of the interior life. St. Gregory the Great writes:
“To gird the loins is to restrain the lusts of the flesh by the virtue of continence. To keep lamps burning is to shine with the light of good works before men.”
(Homilies on the Gospels, 13)
And Origen, in his commentary on this passage, emphasizes:
“The burning lamp is the clear conscience, the soul that has prepared itself for the coming of the Lord, not in fear, but in love.”
Thus the rich man of Sirach and the faithful servant of Luke form two portraits of the same interior reality: the soul adorned with virtue, at peace in its detachment, and prepared in vigilance.
In the traditional Roman liturgy, the weekdays after Pentecost are fertile soil for cultivating the gifts and fruits of the Holy Ghost. Having celebrated the descent of the Paraclete, the Church now asks us to live under His inspiration—to be docile, recollected, and ever ready. The Spiritus Sapientiae leads us to love sobriety, patience, generosity, and fidelity—those very traits we find in today’s readings.
As the collects of this week emphasize perseverance in good, so too must we press on in the often hidden labor of sanctity. The Master comes at an hour we do not expect, and the wise servant is found not sleeping in sloth, nor intoxicated by worldly cares, but vigilant in prayer, and radiant in charity.
Prayer
O Lord, grant us the grace to love Thee above all things, to possess wealth without being possessed by it, to keep our lamps burning with the light of faith and the oil of charity, and to be ready for Thy coming. May we be numbered among those blessed servants who, when Thou dost return, shall be found watching. Amen.