“Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.”
Jesus’ admonition to be watchful always “for you do not know the day” does not appeal to installing more security cameras and alarm systems in your house against thieves. He wants us to be secure by refining our moral system of life. Jesus’ message is an urgent call to reform one’s life according to God’s will without delay.
Time is precious because it is limited. Therefore, spending more time with important rather than urgent things is advisable. It might be too late to postpone essential things to retirement or during free time.
In the words of Father Eymard: Concentrate your spiritual life in your heart, in the desire to be totally God’s and for God. As to the spirit, the intelligence, the memory, even reflection, leave them at the door of the sanctuary of divine love. (Saint Peter Julian Eymard. Counsels for Spiritual Life, page 196).
The call of Jesus is that we must be on constant watch, for we do not know the day or the hour, but it may not have to be tiresome, laborious, and tedious. There are ways to make watching exciting and enjoyable. First, we have to be responsible for everything we do. We all play different roles in life and are expected to do our best to fulfill that role. Second, we have to live according to the faith we have accepted. And third, we have to live a life of service. Much of the discontentment in life is due to our selfish concerns. Focusing on ourselves alone leads to greed and dissatisfaction in life. We have to reach out to those who are in need. With these three, we can be sure that we shall not be found unprepared on the day the Lord comes. Father Eymard would say: You will be the body of my heart; your soul, the active faculties of my soul; your heart, the receptacle, the movement of my heart. I will be the person of your personality, and your personality will be the life of my life in you. (Eymard and the “Vow of Personality” Vol. XI, p.215).
Prayer:
Lord God, holiness and salvation cannot be found outside your atoning work. We ask that you always give us the grace to accept the teachings of our most holy faith and become a living witness to your truth. So that every day, we may always be prepared for your kingdom’s coming. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
