33rd Sunday Ordinary Time 17 November 2024 Readiness
There are two things that we need to get right - one is to be ready for the coming of Christ when He comes on the Last Day. The other is to be ready today and every day to be doing the will of God, living according to His will. Readiness for one should help with the other.
We are ready if we are on good terms with the Master, such that His sudden appearance would not startle us too much. We make sure we are in a state of grace (free from grave sin); generally living good lives. We can do this with His help, and we call constantly for that help.
We express our desire to meet the Saviour every day of the year, greater and lesser days. Most days do not look like the end of the world but we still find a place for what will end certainly, and might end suddenly.
It is mostly little things we do yet there is a sense of urgency about getting those things right. To live in such a way is to have a good chance of earthly happiness, and also of reaching other people, to convince them that they too should be ready for the Master to return.
Procrastination is not helpful here. One might have a sense of getting around to it eventually.
I will start praying and go back to church but not yet. It is always possible to put if off another day. But, says St Paul Now is the acceptable day (2 Co 6,2).
The end of the world, or the end of one person’s life – they can both come suddenly, and we have to keep both of them in mind.
It is easy to give all our attention to other matters, so this is why the word of God comes through the Bible and the teachings of the Church to remind us of the real perspective on time.
In our time and place most people do not worry about religious matters, but this is a false calm before the storm. There are questions each person must face, and we need to get that right before we die, not after. We need to be – everyone needs to be – ready to meet the Saviour.
He does not want us to be afraid of Him, and we will not be if we have developed the habit of living with Him, according to His will.
As His disciples we should be seeking to please Him, not out of fear but love.
We seek to please Him for His own sake, not just because He is the boss or the landlord.
He wants more from us than to be servants, or employees. He calls us friends, or disciples, a more intimate connection.
Some things change, like fashion and food and language and a lot of things. But things of the spiritual order do not change. They remain fixed as regards how we interact with God. Things like the commandments: thou shalt or shalt not do those things. No amount of time can make these things less important.
We seek to please God for His own sake, but fortunately that will have the effect of making it more certain that we will stay faithful to the end; and also gives us more chance to influence others to make necessary changes in their lives.
And this will offer hope to people who generally do not have much. Let’s all be ready for the coming of Christ, and all that comes with that event.
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