Our Lady of Lourdes Church and School

GOSPEL MEDITATION - AUGUST 7, 2016

"You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come."

The only thing we really know about when Jesus will come again is that we won't be expecting it. As Jesus instructs us today, the best plan of action is thus to be prepared at all times. We need to be ready and waiting to meet Jesus so that when he does return, it won't catch us off guard.

A little thought experiment might be helpful here. Let's imagine that the doorbell rings this evening after dinner. We open the door and find Jesus standing there. He asks to come in. Are we ready for this honored guest? What will he find when he steps in unannounced? Is everyone at peace around the house? Is everyone speaking with love and acting with generosity? Is there anything in our home that, in his presence, we might be ashamed of--books, shows, movies, or music that aren't appropriate? Pictures, Facebook posts, or a record of Internet history that we hope he won't discover?

Now, imagine that he came unannounced into our HEARTS this evening. What would he find there? Are our hearts ready to welcome Jesus? In truth, we need not wait for the second coming to have Jesus in our hearts. He wants to live there already today!

So regardless of the timing of the second coming of Christ, we would do well to follow the traditional spiritual practice of a daily examination of conscience to see where we are doing well and where we need to make changes. Taking such a deliberate spiritual inventory is an excellent way to help us be ready for Jesus like those servants "who await their master's return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks."