First Reading - 1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Gospel - Matthew 24:42-51
When we hear about death, we get petrified and sullen. It's so because we want to hold onto the life we have; we don't want to lose people, we have and know; we don't want to lose things and possessions, we have. However, we cannot deny the fact of death nor avoid it but we can certainly respond to it in preparedness. The readings of the day invite us to remain prepared for our last day by our worthy life.
The first reading presents a beautiful portion from the first letter to Corinthians. This pericope displays the spiritual fervour and vitality of the Christian community in Corinth. Paul appreciates the spiritual fervour of the community and encourages them to remain guided by the Holy Spirit to remain faithful to God till the end. Paul openly acknowledges that the spiritual vitality of the community is sustained by the Holy Spirit and manifested in the gifts endowed by the Spirit whom people have received through their faith in Jesus. However, he also reminds the community to persevere in the same spiritual vitality till the end.
In the gospel, Jesus warns his disciples to be vigilant and prepared.The passage contains a pair of short parables in which the chief characters are a master (representing the risen Jesus), theif and master's servants (Jesus’ followers, ourselves). Jesus warns the disciples that they must be prepared at all times because the Son of Man will come at an unexpected hour. According to the Fathers of the Church, Jesus’ words in this passage have two senses. In the narrower sense, the words refer to the Second Coming of Jesus, but in the broader sense they refer to the time of our own death, when God will call us to meet Him and to give Him an account of our life on earth. Jesus wants all of us to be ready at every moment to do God’s will by loving others through humble, sacrificial service.
Jesus figuratively compares the last day with the coming of the master and the thief. Just as the coming of the thief is uncertain so also coming of the master is uncertain. Our responsibility is to be vigilant and awake like the faithful servant.
Dear friends, to sum it up, we can say that our death is inevitable but what we can certainly do is to prepare ourselves to meet that day. Our preparedness certainly depends on the kind of life we live. We hear about St. Francis of Assisi, who welcomed death by calling it "sister death". This shows his preparedness, where he was ready to meet it. We need to remember we have to face the reality of death and also the second coming of Christ for the last judgement. The first reading reminds us that we need to keep our spiritual fervour guarded by giving place to the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, Paul also reminds us that the fervent spiritual life can keep us prepared for the last day. How do we keep our spiritual life guarded? Certainly, by our voluntary choice of spiritual excercises, like - spiritual reading (Bible, spiritual books etc), life of sacrament (Holy Eucharist and Confession etc.), and Works of charity (spiritual and corporal). Our willingness to keep our spiritual life guarded can help us be ready for the end of our earthly life.
May God find us prepared at the end of our lives.
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