Word to the Wise
Thursday, August 30, 2007 - Twenty-first Thursday in Ordinary Time
[1 Thessalonians 3:7-13 and Matthew 24:42-51]Jesus said to his disciples: "Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come."
Some folks spend a lifetime trying to prove Jesus wrong about this. Time and time again somebody thinks they've found a secret code in the bible or else interprets a series of natural or other events to mean that the Second Coming is about to happen. No one's been right so far, and if we take Jesus at his word, it will be a matter of coincidence if someone DOES manage to predict the Second Coming accurately! The concern of the Gospel scripture today is not WHEN the Lord will return, but HOW TO LIVE till the Lord returns. The two parables that follow concern alertness and fidelity. Fidelity to the life of discipleship on a continual basis is the best safeguard against being found unprepared at the Second Coming. This can take on extremes at times when scrupulous folks visit the confessional frequently during the week for fear that they will be hit by a car after leaving the church and be caught with "a sin on the soul." This is not the preparedness that the Gospel has in mind. Living according to the commands of Christ (take a look at the Sermon on the Mount) is the best preparation, not a focus on one's failures to live that life. Those failures require attention on the part of the disciple, not the attention of a wearied confessor! On the other hand, the "Who knows?" folks who believe in the eat, drink and be merry approach may find themselves surprised that they will be held accountable for their deeds. One would hope all would live the life of discipleship because it is the right thing to do in faith and not simply to avoid future punishment (not by Christ but simply as the natural consequence of a life lived in denial of Christ). Fidelity is rewarding in this life and will be rewarded at the end of time. AMEN
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