Be Prepared

The WORD today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/082516.cfm) reminds me that I should be prepared for God's coming. 

There are a lot of things we are busy with in this life. Family, career, business, relationships and social responsibilities. Others are also busy planning and taking trips and vacations. It is easy to be distracted and to lose focus. We only have 24 hours in a day, and it is not enough if we think about all these things. This can lead us to forget the important things in life – like preparing for eternity.

The gospel today reminds us that God will come like a thief in the night – when we least expect it. I believe this is not just true for the second coming, but also, our face to face meeting with God. Death comes when we least expect it, and when it does, we should always be ready to meet our creator. We should always be prepared. 

Being unprepared sometimes bring grave consequences. 

God wants us to be prepared and be ready. This is why every day, he gives us a chance to prepare for our meeting with Him. he gives us opportunities to do good and live right. He reminds us of his love and what we can do to remain in Him. May we never lose focus on him, especially with the many things we do and the many things on our minds. Let us remember that just as we are in the middle of preparing and organizing things of this world,  he can come to meet us. and when he does, there will be no second chance. May we do our part to always be ready and prepare for that meeting.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. thank you for another reminder. Thank you for being patient with me. Sorry Lord for the times I allow myself to be busy and distracted. Sorry for allowing myself to forget you and to disregard preparing for my meeting with you. I ask that you help me prepare. Give me the desire and the will to prepare my life for eternity with you. Help me prepare amidst all my concerns and all the distractions in this life. May I always remember what is important and prepare for it. Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

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August 25, 2016
Thursday of the Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 428

Reading 1 1 Cor 1:1-9

Paul, called to be an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
and Sosthenes our brother,
to the Church of God that is in Corinth,
to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy,
with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I give thanks to my God always on your account
for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus,
that in him you were enriched in every way,
with all discourse and all knowledge,
as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you,
so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift
as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He will keep you firm to the end,
irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God is faithful,
and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 145:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

R. (1) I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
Every day will I bless you,
and I will praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.
R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
Generation after generation praises your works
and proclaims your might.
They speak of the splendor of your glorious majesty
and tell of your wondrous works.
R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
They discourse of the power of your terrible deeds
and declare your greatness.
They publish the fame of your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your justice.
R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.

Alleluia Mt 24:42a, 44

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Stay awake!
For you do not know when the Son of Man will come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 24:42-51

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this:
if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.

“Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant,
whom the master has put in charge of his household
to distribute to them their food at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so.
Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property.
But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is long delayed,’
and begins to beat his fellow servants,
and eat and drink with drunkards,
the servant’s master will come on an unexpected day
and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely
and assign him a place with the hypocrites,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”