The WORD
today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/083117.cfm)
reminds me that I should always 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-
Thursday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 428
Reading 11 THES 3:7-13
in our every distress and affliction, through your faith.
For we now live, if you stand firm in the Lord.
What thanksgiving, then, can we render to God for you,
for all the joy we feel on your account before our God?
Night and day we pray beyond measure to see you in person
and to remedy the deficiencies of your faith.
Now may God himself, our Father, and our Lord Jesus
direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase
and abound in love for one another and for all,
just as we have for you,
so as to strengthen your hearts,
to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father
at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. Amen.
Responsorial PsalmPS 90:3-5A, 12-13, 14 AND 17
You turn man back to dust,
saying, "Return, O children of men."
For a thousand years in your sight
are as yesterday, now that it is past,
or as a watch of the night.
R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
And may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;
prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands!
R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
AlleluiaMT 24:42A, 44
Stay awake!
For you do not know when the Son of Man will come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 24:42-51
"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."
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