Commentary on the Gospel of
Be vigilant at all times and pray.” The readings today set us up for preparedness. We never know what is going to happen. We never know when we will be called upon. We need to be ready for anything any time. We do not know the time, the hour or the day. The servants do not know when their master will return, so they need to be ready any time. Even if he comes back in the middle of the night, they need to be ready to do what he needs. If he comes in the night and finds them asleep, he will not be pleased to have to wake them. But if he comes in the night and they are waiting up, ready to do what he needs right away he will be pleased. He will be so pleased that he will reward them.
I’m editing a book now about a man whose wife was killed in a car accident. He didn’t get a chance to say good-bye. They had unresolved issues that now could not get resolved. They thought they had more time to work things out, but they did not. We may think we have more time to work things out. We may think we have more time to get our lives right. We may think we have more time to get our affairs in order, but we might not.
We need to be like the servants who are ready for their master at any moment, because we do not know the moment. When Jesus comes for us, we need to be ready. We need to be able to say, “Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.” We need to be vigilant at all times. We need to be ready when the Lord comes. We can’t be asleep; we can’t assume we have more time. We do not know the time, so we need to be ready anytime, ready to do his will.
