Daily Reflection – 10/22/19
Sacred Scripture
Jesus said to his disciples: “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them. And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants.” (Luke 12:35-38)
Reflection
A clear and straightforward message, The instruction to “be ready ” is an important message because, I suspect, very few Christians are truly ready to serve Christ. According to Scripture, Jesus’ Second Coming is a mission of judgment.
So regardless of whether we live to witness the Second Coming of Christ, we will witness a type of coming of Christ when we die. And so the question remains, ‘Are you ready for Christ’s coming?’. If Christ came today, would you be satisfied with how you have lived for Him?
Legend has it that Francis of Assisi was approached one afternoon while he was gardening and was asked, ‘Francis, if you knew that Christ was coming this very hour for your soul, what would you do?’. At this, Francis paused from his work, looked up at the man and replied, ‘I would finish my gardening’. Francis could finish his gardening because he had no regrets about how he lived out his commitment to Christ.
The command to “be dressed for action ” cuts to the heart of the matter here. The Christian life is not a life of passive and smug indifference to the rest of the world. The Christian life is a life where action is paramount and where, in a world of darkness, we are called to be beacons of light.
“Action ” does not stop after an hour of warming a pew.The type of action Christ calls us to is needed every day. Every day of our life is a gift from God to be used wisely for His glory. We do not know when Christ is coming, that much is for certain. It is also true that there is plenty of kingdom work to be done–on this earth, in our community, and in this church.
So what is your current condition? Are you sleeping? Then it is time to wake up, Jesus the thief could come at any time. We are the body of Christ. As the body of Christ, we are not meant to sleep. As the body of Christ, we are not to pollute the body with the things of this world. As the body of Christ, our obligation is to be “dressed for action “.
Prayer of The Day
Lord, you are faithful even when I fail. Help me to remain ever faithful to you and to not shrink back when I encounter difficulties. May always live in your presence and be ready to meet you when you call me on the day of judgment.”
Daily Note
We are truly blessed if we are spiritually prepared, alert and vigilant when our master returns. For each of us, our Lord’s coming is one that is intensely personal, whether it would be at his second coming or when our life’s journey comes to an end. Whichever way He chooses for us to join Him, may we prepare ourselves spiritually and mentally for that day. May we constantly be reminded that our stay is fleeting but His coming is definite.
