Be Prepared

The WORD today 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. Nowadays, we are busy with the pandemic, especially on registering and having schedules for vaccines. 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. 

The gospel also tells us that there will be grave consequences when the master finds the servant unprepared. Worse, unprepared and deliberately ignoring the master’s instructions. Too complacent. We should love right and stay firm as we wait God’s revelation, the time we see face to face. 

God wants us to be prepared and be ready. He knows us and he helps us. 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. We should 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. 

What am I busy with in this life? What takes most of my time? What are my priorities? Do I give importance to eternal things or am I too busy with worldly things? How can I prepare for my meeting with God? If he takes me now, am I ready to meet him? During this time of pandemic, am I too busy and stressed that I do not give importance to God? What is he reminding me? 

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, especially during this pandemic. May I always remember what is important and prepare for it. May my life be lived consistently with your values all the time. Amen.

Blessed Day!

In Christ,

-g-

Daily Readings

• AUGUST 25, 2021
• August 26, 2021
• AUGUST 27, 2021

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Thursday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 428

Reading I

1 Thes 3:7-13

We have been reassured about you, brothers and sisters,
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 Psalm

90:3-5a, 12-13, 14 and 17

R. (14) Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
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!

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.”