Episode 3083: The Virtue of Detachment and Readiness - Morning Episode

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Book Recommendation of the Day
Sermons of St. Bernardine of Siena
• Editor: Helen Josephine Robins (Translator)
• Overview: This is a translated collection of some of his most famous sermons, particularly on the Holy Name of Jesus, charity, vice and virtue, and Christian conduct. His style was energetic and persuasive, often addressing the practical moral challenges of his day.
Before we get started with today’s episode something dawned on me in my efforts that I’m currently working on and I will hold on saying exactly what that is for now. But I had a meeting with two gentlemen last night and I really just set the proverbial table and did more listening than talking and one of the gentleman came up with an excellent idea. When I left I thought Not Our Timing, Let Christ and Our Lady Lead. Our job is truly to act in some way but above all pray and wait and listen.
In an age of instant gratification, where seconds feel like minutes and delays are met with frustration, it is all too easy for us to expect God to act according to our schedules. We live in a world that idolizes speed and speed of progress, speed of communication, speed of results. Yet the spiritual life, rooted in divine grace and eternal truth, operates on an entirely different clock. It is not dictated by the tempo of the world, but by the perfect wisdom of Christ and the gentle direction of Our Blessed Mother.
• We must learn to surrender to their timing, not ours.

• Too often we believe we are doing the work of God, running ahead, filled with zeal, even holy intentions. But if we are not pausing to listen, to pray, to discern, we risk placing ourselves at the center of the mission, rather than Christ. The Saints constantly remind us that what we do for God must always be led by God. Saint Francis de Sales once said, “The devil does not fear austerity but holy obedience.” Even the greatest acts, if done outside of God's will and timing, lose their merit.

• Our Lord Himself, though He was God, waited thirty years in silence before beginning His public ministry. Our Blessed Mother, after the Annunciation, quietly waited and pondered all these things in her heart (Luke 2:19). Even at Cana, when she interceded for the couple, she did not demand, but presented the need and trusted her Son: “They have no wine.” And though Christ replied, “My hour is not yet come,” He performed the miracle nonetheless, in a moment that united divine will with maternal intercession.
• This is the rhythm of Heaven: trust, obedience, patience, surrender.

• We must not let the noise and rush of the world pressure us into spiritual haste. The work of Christ is not a race to be won, but a path to be followed, step by step, often in silence, often in waiting. God is not slow He is precise. He does not delay He prepares. And when the moment is right, when hearts are ready, when His will aligns perfectly with His plan, then He acts. Not a moment too soon. Not a moment too late.

• When we pray, when we act, when we serve, let us always first ask: Is this God's time or mine? Let us look to Our Lady, the model of perfect timing, who never ran ahead of God, never questioned His pace, but remained in peace and obedience, even at the foot of the Cross.

• In our daily lives whether we are discerning a vocation, waiting for a prayer to be answered, or trying to evangelize let us remember: if we rush ahead, we may miss the path. But if we wait in trust and prayer, Christ and His Blessed Mother will lead us, in their perfect time.

“The Watchful Servant: The Virtue of Detachment and Readiness”
Introduction:
Welcome, dear listeners, today we also honor a great confessor and bishop, St. Bernardine of Siena, a powerful preacher and promoter of the Holy Name of Jesus.
Epistle Ecclesiasticus 31:8–11 (Sirach 31:8–11, Douay-Rheims):
"Blessed is the rich man that is found without blemish: and that hath not gone after gold, nor put his trust in money, nor in treasures. Who is he, and we will praise him? for he hath done wonderful things in his life. Who hath been tried thereby, and made perfect? he shall have glory everlasting. He that could have transgressed, and hath not transgressed: and could do evil things, and hath not done them: therefore are his goods established in the Lord."
Reflection – A Saintly Richness
This reading extols the virtue of temperance and detachment from material wealth, especially when riches are within one’s grasp. The Church does not condemn wealth itself, but warns that its pursuit and trust can easily become idolatrous. The “blessed” man in this passage is one who could have indulged in greed, but instead chose virtue. This is the man who, despite having the opportunity to sin, remained faithful to God’s law.
In the example of St. Bernardine of Siena, we see this lived out. Though of noble birth and able intellect, he chose the poverty of the Franciscan life, dedicating himself entirely to preaching, penance, and the salvation of souls. His riches were not in coin but in virtue and sacrifice, echoing this epistle’s call to renounce selfish gain in favor of eternal reward.
Such men will be declared righteous by the “Church of the saints.” Their legacy is not built on empires, but on alms, prayer, humility, and a holy life.
Gospel – Luke 12:35–40:
"Let your loins be girt, and lamps burning in your hands. And you yourselves like to men who wait for their lord, when he shall return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open to him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord when he cometh, shall find watching. Amen I say to you, that he will gird himself, and make them sit down to meat, and passing will minister unto them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. But this know ye, that if the householder did know at what hour the thief would come, he would surely watch, and would not suffer his house to be broken open. Be you then also ready: for at what hour you think not, the Son of man will come."
Reflection – Always Ready
This Gospel urges vigilance and spiritual readiness, a constant theme in traditional Catholic teaching. “Let your loins be girt” is a call to purity, discipline, and readiness for action as in the ancient custom of tucking up garments for travel or battle. The “lamps burning” signify the light of faith, kept alive by grace and good works.
St. Bernardine himself was like one of these watchful servants. He preached tirelessly across Italy, urging repentance and devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus a name he insisted should be honored, revered, and proclaimed. He knew that our Lord might come at any hour not only in the final judgment but also in the moment of death, or in His visits of grace and conversion.
Traditional Catholic spirituality emphasizes that we must live each day as if it were our last. Death comes like a thief. Will Christ find us asleep in sin or awake with charity, penance, and the rosary in our hands?
St. Bernardine of Siena (1380–1444)
• A Franciscan priest and fiery preacher who combated moral decay and heresy.
• Famous for spreading devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus, often holding up the monogram “IHS.”
• He is the patron of advertisers and public relations due to his persuasive and holy preaching.
• His humility and refusal to accept high ecclesiastical positions remind us of the virtue of detachment.
Themes of the Day:
1. Detachment from Riches (Ecclesiasticus):
o Holiness is not tied to material poverty or riches, but in how one uses and relates to wealth.
o As Ecclesiasticus says: "Blessed is the rich man that is found without blemish"—this is rare virtue.
2. Readiness and Watchfulness (Luke):
o Our Lord repeatedly exhorts us to be spiritually awake, with lamps burning.
o The night watches represent the times of trial, temptation, or death—when He may come unexpectedly.
3. Holiness in Action:
St. Bernardine lived these truths he could have sought popularity or high office, but instead he chose humility and the often difficult life of a mendicant preacher.
Saintly Quotes to Meditate Upon:
St. Bernardine of Siena:
“The Name of Jesus is the glory of preachers because the shining splendor of that name causes His word to be proclaimed and heard with fervor.”
St. Alphonsus Liguori:
“Blessed is the servant whom the Lord finds watching! That is, detached from creatures, united to God, always ready to meet death.”
St. Augustine:
“He who loves not God more than all things is not fit to see God.”

Concluding Prayer:
O Lord Jesus Christ, who didst inflame the heart of St. Bernardine with zeal for the salvation of souls and devotion to Thy most Holy Name, grant that we also may burn with holy charity and ever be ready for Thy coming.
Through the intercession of St. Bernardine of Siena, grant us the grace to speak Thy name with reverence, to live in holiness, and to die in Thy friendship.
In the Name of Jesus, which is above all names, we pray. Amen.
Thank you for joining us today. May you walk in watchful hope, detached from the world, and united in charity. Until next time, keep your lamps lit and your heart fixed on Christ.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, pray for us.