A Word of Hope for Wednesday of the 29th Week of Ordinary Time (October 21, 2026) by Fr. Luke Barder, OP. Today's Gospel, Luke 12:39-48, gives us the parable of the faithful and unfaithful servants, and Jesus gets pretty real with the disciples. In this daily Catholic Gospel reflection, we meet the servant who grows complacent. With no one holding him accountable, he becomes self-indulgent and begins to mistreat his fellow workers. Sound familiar? Hidden behind screens and headlines, it's easy for our charity to slip away and for us to mistreat one another by words or actions. Jesus' call to the disciples is simple: at the very minimum, hold yourself accountable. We are free brothers and sisters in Christ, and our own integrity of mind and heart becomes a visible witness that the Master is coming and that we are striving for something greater. Drawing on Dominican formation ("your formation is your responsibility") and the wisdom of the brothers ("don't let the brothers disturb your peace" and "love the hate out of them"), this reflection also looks ahead to the upcoming election as an opportunity to be a present, incarnate witness in our communities through civic participation. This is a preaching. This is what Jesus calls his disciples to be: his body and his voice in the world. TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Welcome | Wednesday of the 29th Week of Ordinary Time 0:10 Today's parable: Jesus gets real with the apostles (Luke 12:39-48) 0:41 The complacent servant and the lack of accountability 1:10 Complacency in our society today: screens and headlines 1:48 Jesus' call: hold yourself accountable 2:02 Dominican formation and the gift of fraternity 2:21 "Don't let the brothers disturb your peace" and "Love the hate out of them" 2:32 Accountability as a visible witness that the Master is coming 2:55 Voting and civic action as incarnate witness 3:31 This is a preaching: being Christ's body and voice 3:49 Closing prayer and blessing TODAY'S GOSPEL Luke 12:39-48 | Wednesday of the 29th Week of Ordinary Time, Year II A Word of Hope is a daily Catholic Gospel reflection from the Dominican friars, released every day to help you pray with the daily Mass readings. Subscribe and turn on notifications so you never miss a day. #DailyGospel #CatholicReflection #Dominican