Scripture:
1 Thessalonians 3:7-13
Matthew 24:42-51
Reflection:
"Therefore you also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Today’s Gospel speaks about the coming of God at the end of time and strongly urges us to be prepared. Every day of our lives, we spend time and energy preparing for one thing or another. Parents prepare to send their children to school, families prepare for their end of summer vacations, and yes, dare I say it, over the weekend I was in a store preparing for Christmas. We are in a constant state of preparedness for events that will be over before we realize it. In just about every article in the paper today, people around the world were told to "prepare for…" you can fill in the blank.
For centuries people have speculated about how and when our lives here on earth will cease to exist. The end of the Mayan calendar in December 2012 has long given rise to theories and conjecture. In the late 1990’s the media inundated us with stories about how the Y2K bug was going to wreak havoc, and urged us to prepare for the worst. The truth is we just don’t know. As we journey through each day preparing for our earthly survival, we also need to be vigilant in our preparations for our eternal life. Our time spent here is but a flash in the pan compared to what awaits us. We do not know what hour to expect the Son of Man, but we certainly can be prepared by showing boundless love for one another and for Him.
Angela Kwasinski, is the Director of Planned and Major Gifts for the Passionists of Holy Cross Province.