"Watch for you do not know when the time will come"

Scripture: Mark 13:33-37

33 Take heed, watch; for you do not know when the time will come.34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. 35 Watch therefore -- for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the  morning -- 36 lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Watch."

Reflection: This first Sunday of Advent, Jesus reminds us to be vigilant and prepared for His coming. The second coming of the Messiah is sure to happen, but no one knows when the time is. Getting ready for the most important event in history should be our priority. No one will be exempt from the day of judgement, even those who have died will be judged on this day along with the living.

How do we prepare ourselves? By being faithful to God's will in our lives. And His will is for us to love as much as we can. Doing whatever duties we have with love no matter how simple it is. As St. John Bosco,  patron of the youth said: "Do your ordinary duties extraordinarily well." We cannot do anything well if we do not do it with love, especially love for God. God is easy to please. We can offer up to Him the most ordinary task as long as it is done with love for Him and others.

We are living in the end times, the time between the first coming of Christ and His second coming. We are constantly reminded to prepare ourselves by living a life of love and doing our best to be God's instruments of blessing to others. Are you God's instrument of love and blessing?

Our Hearts are God's Temples

Scripture:  Luke 19:45-48

45 And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, 46 saying to them, "It is written, `My house shall be a house of prayer'; but you have made it a den of robbers." 47 And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people sought to destroy him; 48 but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people hung upon his words.

Christ Driving the Merchants from the Temple
By: Jacob Jordaens

Reflection: God takes the holiness of His temple seriously. The only incident in the bible where Jesus used physical force was when He drove out the money changers from the temple. We may ask ourselves why Jesus was upset by people just trying to make a living. The truth is that the money changers were people who cheat their neighbor out of their hard earned money. They take advantage of the poor and force them to pay a lot more than they owe, and they do this right in the house of God.

Our bodies and souls are temples of God too, that is why when we sin we drive away the Lord from His rightful place. Jesus comes to us everyday knocking on the door of our hearts hoping that it would be ready to receive Him. It is better to welcome Him while he still knocks or He might resort to discipline in cleansing our sinful hearts.

This coming season where we prepare for Christmas, let us also prepare ourselves spiritually to give God a temple worthy of Himself.

It's in our Hands

Scripture:  Luke 17:26-37

26 As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of man.  27 They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed  them all. 28 Likewise as it was in the days of Lot -- they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built, 29 but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom fire and sulphur rained from heaven and destroyed them all -- 30 so will it be on the day when the Son of man is revealed. 31 On that day, let him who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away; and likewise let him who is in the field not turn back. 32 Remember Lot's wife. 33 Whoever seeks to gain his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it. 34 I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. 35 There will be two women grinding together; one will be taken and the other left." 37 And they said to him, "Where, Lord?" He said to them, "Where the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together."

Reflection: When Jesus talked about the day of Judgement, He advised His disciples to detach themselves to things that are not important. Those who are preoccupied with selfish pursuits and pleasure will regret it. For "whoever seeks to gain his life will lose it".  Jesus said that on the day of Judgement "let him who is on the housetop with goods in the house, not come down to take them away." He is teaching us to detach ourselves to fleeting things which are not important. Lot's wife while fleeing from Sodom could not detach from her worldly possessions and that caused her to look back. And you know what happened to her. We should ask ourselves: "are there persons or possessions that are more important in our lives and are keeping us from focusing on God and His will?" 

We are responsible for playing our part in our own salvation. God will judge each of us according to how we responded to His love, ultimately we cannot point to others as responsible for the consequences of our actions. That is what Jesus meant when on the day of Judgement, "one will be taken and the other left". No one can get a free ride to heaven on the merits of someone else, we all have a responsibility to live out our faith according to God's will. God has done His part in our salvation, now it's up to us to do ours. The good news is God is willing and able to give us the grace we need to help us do our part. 

The day of the Lord is coming and it is inevitable. It can be scary for those who are not prepared, and it can be anticipated with joyful hope for those who live according to God's will. Are we going to be be left behind or not? The choice is ours. 

Ready for the Kingdom

Scripture:  Luke 17:20-25

20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, he answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; 21 nor will they say, `Lo, here it is!' or `There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you." 22 And he said to the disciples, "The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and you will not see  it. 23 And they will say to you, `Lo, there!' or `Lo, here!' Do not go, do not follow them. 24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of man be in his day. 25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

Reflection: The Pharisees constantly asked Jesus about the coming of God's Kingdom. They are doing this because they would not accept Jesus as the Messiah. The Lord's reply shocked them for He said that the Kingdom is already in their midst. Jesus the Son of God made man is Emmanuel, God with us. He is the surest sign that God's Kingdom has already arrived.

Jesus also speaks about the day of the Son of man, where the Messiah will come again as Judge of both the living and the dead. He uses lightning as an image of His second coming. For like lightning that flashes across the sky He will come without warning and all will recognize Him as Lord, even the unbelievers. Jesus first came as a humble servant, a willing victim who offered Himself for the redemption of mankind. In the second coming He will manifest Himself as Lord and Judge. Are we ready to offer up a life well lived when we face the Lord?

Now that Christmas is approaching, let us remind ourselves what it really means. It's not about preparing for the numerous parties and shopping sprees but preparing for the coming of the Messiah. Christmas is celebrated yearly to remind us of this great Truth, that God became man to make Himself closer to His people, to bring them healing, forgiveness, freedom and salvation. It is a fitting gift to our Savior that our hearts are well prepared for His coming.

The Wise are Always Prepared

Scripture:  Matthew 25:1-13

1 "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be compared to ten maidens who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, `Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' 7 Then all those maidens rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, `Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' 9 But the wise replied, `Perhaps there will not be enough for us and for you; go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.' 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast; and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other maidens came also, saying, `Lord, lord, open to us.' 12 But he replied, `Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.' 13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

Reflection: Jesus frequently uses the image of a wedding and wedding feasts in His parable about God's Kingdom. Because a wedding is an image of the union God wants to have with us forever and the feast is an image of eternal life of love and complete happiness with Him. God invites us everyday to the heavenly feast and calls us to prepare ourselves. In the parable of the ten maidens, Jesus showed that the wise are always prepared and therefore worthy to join the feast. 

The wisdom of the maidens who came prepared with oil in their lamps made them fit to be part of the wedding feast. The maidens who were unprepared were called foolish and they paid for it by not being allowed to join the feast. It may seem strange to have to reject someone because they have no oil in their lamps, but it makes sense to Jesus' audience at that time. It is the custom for grooms then was to come in his bride's village at anytime he pleases without announcing it. The groom takes the long route around the village so that many could join the wedding procession and once they arrive the doors are shut and only those who have joined in the procession are allowed to go inside. If the groom comes at night, those who are prepared with oil in their lamps may join the procession to the feast. Those who have no lamps are not allowed to go out in the streets at night and cannot join the procession and the feast. 

Jesus calls us to prepare every single day "for you know neither the day nor the hour." We spend our lives satisfying our desires while neglecting to reach out to others. Our selfishness hurt the people around us and especially God who calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves. When Jesus returns as the triumphant Lord and Judge of all, will He find us doing His Will or doing our selfish will? Are we prepared for the day of the Lord's coming? 

May God give us the grace to be ready and worthy to join His heavenly banquet.