Watch, therefore; you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning. May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’”

Watch! this is the clear message of todays gospel. Jesus says in other gospels, that not even He knows the day or time, and that is a good thing. Can you imagine if it was a known fact that Jesus would return on a certain date, and that your judgement would be meted out at that time.  Do you think people would go about their lives in the same way, as if they did not know? The answer is clearly NO.

We have seen this over and over throughout the milenia since Jesus left us. There have been dozens of communities that have been fooled by the lies of a charismatic leader, and believed that they had some secret knowledge of the end times.  These people give away everything they owned, putting themesleves and their families in mortal danger, and some have even killed themselves in anticipation of the moment. Thinking you know, is a tragedy, and is bad for us, and so in God’s wisdom, we can not, and should not know. 

That is why the lord Jesus says Watch. Notice that He does not say listen, but instead watch. It is not a loud clap of thunder from the sky, it is not the lies of a cult leader. But instead it will be heralded by signs that will be discernable by each of us with our own eyes.

But what are we watching for? Jesus says in another gospel that just like the fig tree changes with the seasons, you too can see the signs of the end of time. But you will not be able to see the changes of the times, if you dont know your bible. You must read it daily, you must study what others church fathers have said about it, and know what the prophets foretold. Then when you know your faith, the changes of the seasons, and the fulfillments of the prophecies, become as clear as the changing of the seasons.

At the same time, we must also be preparing our hearts and souls for that time when we meet Jesus. We must be baptized, we must frequent the sacraments of confession and eucharist, so that we can stay in a state of grace. And finally we must live our vocation of fatherhood or motherhood, with great joy, and happiness. Like the wise virgins, who kept their lamps lit, and carried extra oil, if you do these things, you will be prepared, and when the times change, and the lords arrival is imminent, you will be ready to joyfully great Him.

So do not wait, and be caught asleep when this time comes, because you will not have the time to prepare yourself then, and your judgement will be left only to the mercy of God. You do not want to be left outside where there is wailing and grinding of teeth. So watch, and be ready, for the time of the lord coming.

Oh lord, help me to watch and be ready, and to know what it is you want from me so I can be reconciled with you when you come. Amen.