Homily on Luke 12:39–48 : When Delay Changes the Heart ( 22-10-25)

There was once a caretaker in a small school who was known for his hard work. Every morning, he arrived before everyone else, cleaned the classrooms, and watered the garden. One day, the headmaster went away for a few months. At first, the caretaker worked as usual. But slowly, he thought, “The headmaster is not coming back soon.” The cleaning became less regular, the garden dried up, and soon the whole school looked neglected. When the headmaster returned unexpectedly, he was deeply saddened.

The Gospel today tells a similar story. Jesus says, “My master is delayed in coming.” That single thought changed the servant’s whole attitude. When he first received responsibility, he was diligent and faithful. But when he began to think the master was delayed, he grew lazy, careless, and even cruel. He started beating the other servants. Delay changed his heart.

Sometimes, it’s not delay itself that ruins us, but how we think about it. When we begin to believe that no one is watching, we lose our discipline. We let go of the small acts of love and responsibility that once filled our lives.

This happens in families too. When the husband or wife stops paying attention to the other, thinking, “It doesn’t matter anymore,” love starts to fade. In religious life, when prayer feels dry, or when superiors are far away, the temptation comes to do things half-heartedly. We may still do our duties, but without soul, without joy.

The servant’s real problem was not time — it was intention. His heart had shifted from service to self. Saint Francis de Sales once said, “Nothing is small in the service of God.” Even the simplest act, done with love and faithfulness, becomes holy.

In the Old Testament, Joseph was a model of diligence. Even when he was a slave in Egypt, far from home and forgotten by everyone, he served faithfully. God was delayed in rewarding him, yet Joseph’s heart never turned bitter. His diligence became the very road to his greatness.

The servant in the Gospel failed to see that the master’s delay was a chance to prove his faithfulness. Delay often reveals what kind of love we have — whether we serve for reward or out of love. True love works even when no one sees, and keeps the same care whether praised or ignored.

Sometimes we also feel that God delays — our prayers go unanswered, our efforts seem unseen. But delay is not absence. God’s silence is His way of testing our depth. The lazy heart says, “Why bother?” but the faithful heart whispers, “Even if He delays, I will still be true.”

Saint Teresa of Avila once wrote, “Patience obtains all things.” Diligence is the flower of patience. It is what keeps our hearts alive when nothing seems to happen.

Let us not allow the thought of “delay” to make us careless, bitter, or lazy. Let us rather see every delay as a sacred time when God is watching quietly to see if our love is genuine.

Lord, when You seem delayed, keep our hearts faithful, our hands diligent, and our love sincere. Amen.

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