💖 HOMILY - AUGUST 31 💖

First Reading - 1 Thessalonians 3:7-13

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.

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.

The first reading can be divided into two parts: first part consists of praises by Paul for the Christians in Thessalonika. He is reported by Timothy about their steadfast faith which he praises. However, the second part contains subtle exhortation to remain in love by loving God and one another. In fact, he seems to say that their faith is perfected in loving God and one another. It is this love which will lead them to holiness and worthy life in the sight of God (Jesus) when He will come in glory. Paul forwarns the Christians to keep themselves prepared for Jesus' coming in this manner.

Dear friends, to sum 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 second reading invites us to prepare ourselves to meet this day by living the life of love for God and one another. The last judgement as mentioned in the gospel of Matthew also suggests that the last judgement is based on love (Mt. 25:41-46). It's the life of love that can lead us to live a holy life in Christ because love can do no wrong (Rom. 13:10). Let's make this virtue of love our own and live by it.

May God find us prepared at the end of our lives.