HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE 21ST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME CYCLE II (2)

HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE 21ST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME CYCLE II

THEME: BE WATCHFUL AND READY

BY: Fr. Karabari Paul

HOMILY FOR THURSDAY AUGUST 25 2022

‘Watch, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.’

In the Gospel (Matthew 24:42-51), there is quite an interesting thing to consider in Jesus’ instructions. He emphasizes the element of surprise, even terrifying surprise. The impression is that the world will be taken completely by surprise. The overall point of this instruction is that by being alert to the signs and taking advantage of them, we should be ready: “Therefore be you also ready: for in such an hour as you think not the Son of man comes.”

Are we getting anxious about Christ’s return? I do not mean anxious in a sense of being fearful, but anxious in terms of seeing it come to pass.

Jesus meant this advice in the sense of a soldier on guard duty, alert to what is going on around him, and so watch we do! We might be alert, diligently and sincerely looking in that direction, but at best, we are only getting a part of the picture. We might be likened to a soldier on guard duty who is alert, but looking in the wrong direction, and so the enemy sneaks up from a blind spot and surprises him.

Always being ready seems like a massive challenge, but a great way to think about it is by imagining throughout the day that Jesus was about to turn up at our door – would we be comfortable to welcome Him in and show Him what we are doing? Would we want Him to experience how we are living? If our answer is ‘no’, then we know we are not ready for His return. Are we ‘eagerly waiting for him’? Or are we too busy and focused on other things? Have our problems stopped us from thinking about our eternity? Today, let us commit ourselves to being ready for Jesus’ return. Let us eagerly await His return. GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE. May God have mercy on us, heal our world, bless and protect us all through Christ Our Lord Amen. Please, stay safe. Good morning

Fr. Karabari Paul