“Stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.”

Matthew 24:42

Matthew 24:42-51

Reflection

Jesus tells his disciples to stay awake, for they do not know the day when the Lord will come. If the master of a house had known when it would be broken into, he would have stayed awake to make sure it didn’t happen. Similarly, the Son of Man will come at an unexpected hour.

Often, we live our lives without giving much thought to Jesus’ second coming or our own death. We imagine we have a number of decades to live and don’t necessarily focus on the end of our life until we become older. At times, this is not bad, for if we become too preoccupied with the future, we forget to live in the present moment. Yet today, Jesus warns us that we must stay awake spiritually and prepare ourselves at any moment for the Son of Man to come again.

If we live without remembering Christ, we will be surprised at the end of our own lives, wishing we had prepared better. However, if we place Jesus at the center of our lives, often reflecting on eternity, and preparing our hearts by growing in virtue and holiness, we are more ready for the end, however it occurs. Always keep your spiritual life active, repent of your sins, and pray. In these ways, we prepare ourselves to meet Christ face to face.

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Saint of the Day

St. Monica: ca. AD 330 – 387

“Each day is a coin that God gives us to buy his Glory.” St. Monica