As the Church moves through the days between the glorious Ascension of our Lord and the coming of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost, the daily liturgy calls us to a renewed vigilance and deeper contemplation of the eternal. On this Wednesday after the Ascension—Feria IV post Ascensionem—the readings from Wisdom 4:7–14 and Luke 12:35–40 speak to us with poignant urgency about death, readiness, and the hidden wisdom of God.
Let us enter into these sacred texts with the mind of the Church, drawing also from the voices of the Fathers, who have faithfully illumined these mysteries before us.
The Short Life of the Just (Wisdom 4:7–14)
“But the just man, though he die before his time, shall be at rest.” (Wis. 4:7)
This reading from the Book of Wisdom pierces through our human assumptions about life and longevity. The inspired writer reminds us that holiness, not the number of years, is the true measure of life. The early death of the just is no tragedy in God’s eyes, for their soul is pleasing to Him and is swiftly delivered from the corruption of this world.
St. Ambrose, commenting on the death of the young and just, writes:
“He who has fulfilled the law in a short time, though he may not have lived long in this world, has yet lived enough. For what is long life except vanity if it is spent in sin?”
(De bono mortis, 10)
This echoes the mysterious words of the text: “He was taken away, lest wickedness should alter his understanding, or deceit beguile his soul.” (v. 11). God, in His mercy, sometimes calls the just to Himself early, to spare them greater spiritual danger. What looks like untimely death to men is, in fact, divine deliverance.
St. Gregory the Great adds:
“The life of the just is often short because the longer they live, the more dangers they might face. God, therefore, shortens their life to crown them sooner.”
(Moralium, lib. 9, cap. 21)
The contrast with the wicked, who often live long and prosper outwardly, becomes a reminder not to judge by appearances. The true success of a life is not measured by duration or public approval, but by its conformity to divine wisdom and hidden union with God.
Watchfulness in the Night (Luke 12:35–40)
“Let your loins be girt, and lamps burning in your hands.” (Luke 12:35)
Our Lord’s parable of the watchful servants is a summons to spiritual alertness. The imagery is clear: we are pilgrims in a time of waiting, servants in the house of the Master who has ascended but shall return. Between Ascension and the Second Coming, we are to remain vigilant.
St. Cyril of Alexandria explains:
“The loins are to be girded, that is, the passions restrained. The lamps are to be burning, which means a life full of good works. Only thus shall we be found ready when the Master comes.”
(Commentary on Luke, Hom. 92)
This call to vigilance harmonizes beautifully with the Wisdom reading. Just as the just man is prepared for death, regardless of how early it may come, so the faithful servant is always ready for the return of his Lord. Neither knows the hour, yet both live with their hearts set on the eternal.
St. Augustine writes with pastoral urgency:
“Watch, because you do not know the hour. That ignorance is not a cause of negligence, but a reason for greater fear and greater care. Be always prepared, because you may die at any moment, or Christ may return.”
(Sermon 93)
The parable ends with a sobering reminder: “At what hour you think not, the Son of man will come.” The early Church Fathers consistently understood this as both a reference to the personal return of Christ in glory and a warning about the unpredictability of death.
The Lesson of Feria IV Post Ascensionem
These readings draw us into the in-between space of the Ascension and Pentecost—a time that mirrors the Church’s journey through history: Christ has ascended; the Spirit is at work; but the final glory has not yet appeared. We live, as it were, in the night, with our lamps burning and our loins girt.
Let this be our prayerful disposition in these days:
- To live like the just man of Wisdom, detached from worldly illusions and interiorly at peace.
- To be like the faithful servants of Luke’s Gospel, active in virtue and alert in hope.
- To remember, as St. John Chrysostom warns, that “no man is safe in this life as long as he still breathes” (Hom. on Matthew 24), and therefore we must labor to be found watching.
In the quiet suspense of these days after the Ascension, the Church, like the Blessed Virgin and the Apostles in the Cenacle, waits in prayer, yearning for the fullness of Pentecost. Yet she waits also with her eyes raised toward the heavens, knowing her Lord will come again.
Let us be among those whom He finds ready.
Collect for Vigilance (adapted from the Roman Breviary):
Grant us, we beseech Thee, almighty God, so to watch with readiness and serve Thee with pure hearts, that when Thy Son our Lord shall come, we may be found worthy to enter with Him into everlasting joy. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.