The Day and Hour
Gospel Reflection for Wednesday October 23, 2024
“Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” Luke 12:39-40
At the end of the Nicaean Creed, we profess belief that Christ will come again to judge the living and the dead. This belief in the second coming of Christ has caused many generations of Christians to anxiously look for the ‘signs of the times’ and try to guess the ‘day and the hour.’ In reality, though, Our Lord very plainly tells us all that we need to know. Today’s gospel offers two parables that teach us about preparedness, both in expectation for the Lord and in the state of our soul.
In the first parable, Our Lord compares the second coming to a thief in the night. We must prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ as if we are not going to see it coming. He will come in the time that we least expect, when the world’s guard is down, and we are slumbering. It is said that we should take care of our souls like we will die tomorrow, and this is the mentality that we ought to approach our spiritual lives as if the second coming were happening tomorrow. The reality is that this is a distinct possibility. Our Lord is very clear that we will not know when the day or the hour is, whether it be the second coming or our own death. Either way, we must ready ourselves for judgment since no one, believer or unbeliever, will be spared His just judgment.
This brings us to the second parable for today. Our Lord emphasizes that for those to whom much is given, much will be expected:
“That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.” Luke 12:47-48
This should cause in us a good amount of reflection. Are we living up to the greatness that God has gifted us through His grace? Do we repent when we do fail in this?
Make no mistake, this passage is not advocating for invincible ignorance, that is being ignorant out of no fault of our own. Ignorance is not bliss. While reception of the truth and embracing of the faith does come with its requirements, steep as they are, it is only in the grace of God and His church that we experience the freedom that He promises. It is a fair trade-off. The promise of eternal life if we take seriously the commands of Christ, detach ourselves from worldly things, and offer to Him our lives.
He has given so much. And, yes, much is expected. But what awaits those who prepare themselves is far greater than what can be conceived of here.