Reading and meditation on the Word of God on Wednesday of the 20th week in ordinary time, August 20, 2025, Memorial of Saint Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Judges 9: 6-15; Rs psalm 21: 2-3.4-5.6-7; Matthew 20: 1-16a. MAKING USE OF TIME IS THE SAME ASSACRIFICE OF ONESELF Our meditation today is entitled:Making Use of Time Is the Same as Sacrifice of Oneself. Is time really the sameas human beings? The book of Judges describe various good trees which at theright time produce their superiority or their best, each refusing to sacrificeits best in order to become king over the other trees. Only a small, ugly,thorny plant is willing to sacrifice itself to become king. The workers integrate and unite theirwork time that each one deserves accordingly with themselves as workers. Wagesare given not only because of work time already fixed for each but especiallysacrifice and performance of workers and the generosity of the one who pays.Sacrifice of time is an indicator or sign for the human person and his actionsat any given time. So the sacrifice or the use of time is a sacrifice of theone who puts him/herself into the work. Our liturgy today relates sacrificewith the calling of leaders and those who work to serve others. Leaders andservants have the characteristic of sacrificing or offering their times. Agovernor must spend more time serving people, than for his own family. A principal of the school also doesthe same, serving more his teachers and students than himself or his family. The leader and servant should offertheir times and themselves to God. Their main characteristic is willingness andfreedom. Wages in material good or money are not the main things, but what isimportant is what they give or offer. God wants a sacrifice that is freely andconsciously given from generosity, expressions of love and obedience. Leading the family, community andChurch is normal. In all these there is the aspect of service. Then God wantsto speak about this to each one of us: the time to be used for any given workor serice is sacred and it does not depend on short or long duration. When timeis used properly and fruitfully, then a quality of work to serve others ortaking care life to be prioritized, by not seeking first what in return, thisis the real sacrifice of oneself. So we need to fill our time withself-sacrifice, and vice versa self-sacrifice really requires the time of itsrealization. It's useless to talk about sacrifice but we don't have time forthat. There is no meaning or nonsense if we have time but just wasting and notusing it with a sacrifice of self. Let's pray. In the name of theFather ... O Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for teaching us today the meaning ofself-sacrifice. Bless us, O Lord Jesus. Glory to the Father and to the Son andto the Holy Spirit ... In the name of the Father ...