"Before Jesus comes as the just judge, He comes daily as the King of Mercy.”

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. – St. John

Gospel Text: (LK 12:39-48)
Jesus said to his disciples:
“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.”

Then Peter said,
“Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?”
And the Lord replied,
“Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward
whom the master will put in charge of his servants
to distribute the food allowance at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so.
Truly, I say to you, he will put him
in charge of all his property.
But if that servant says to himself,
‘My master is delayed in coming,’
and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants,
to eat and drink and get drunk,
then that servant’s master will come
on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour
and will punish the servant severely
and assign him a place with the unfaithful.
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.”

As a child I loved to play hide and seek. I loved it no matter if I was the one hiding who was trying not to get caught, or if I was the one seeking. Although I haven’t played in a while, I remember the seeker, or "it" as we always called him would close his eyes and count to 100 so that all the others could hide. Now sometimes the seeker would cheat a little bit as he would peep around and then you could hear him count, "One, two, three, fourteen fifteen, sixty one and so on." Then you would hear him scream out, “Ready or not here I come."

Three things were always certain when we played this game:

1- He was surely coming

2- He was coming when he got ready

3- He was coming whether you were ready or not

Little did I realize as a child how much this fun game paralleled the second coming of Jesus Christ.

The question is not "if Jesus will return?" but "when will he return?" St. Paul answered this question by basically saying, "No one knows." He explained this by describing the time of Jesus return as a thief in the night. Just as a thief plans his entry at an uncertain time when least expected, so will be the coming of the Son of God. Jesus Himself said in (Matt. 24:35) "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only." And later He said in (Matt 24:44) Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him."

How can I be ready?

• Schedule your prayer. Put it in your book, create a phone reminder, write a sticky note, whatever, just make it real and be accountable to it.

• Go to Mass as frequently and devoutly as you are permitted.

• Confess regularly with a confessor who can keep you accountable.

• Carve out times in your week for silent reflection. If you can, do it before the Blessed Sacrament.

• Be grateful. Be armed and shielded by gratitude

• Walk in friendship with the Holy Mother of God. Pray the Rosary daily! Our Lady’s zeal will suffocate the stench of sin and the snares of the enemy who cannot breathe when the love of her Immaculate Heart consumes a soul in worship of God.

Do not say, “I am only a mom.” Do not say, “I am only an office worker or a student or a retiree.” You are exactly where God needs you to be today. You are strategically placed on the battlefield, so be alert! Have your spiritual eyes, ears, hands, and heart wide open. Allow the Lord to use you to bring His light to those around you.