On Your Toes 24/7

𝐎𝐂𝐓. 𝟐𝟏, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓: 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘 𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐇 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊 𝐈𝐍 𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐘 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝟏: 𝐑𝐨𝐦 𝟓:𝟏𝟐, 𝟏𝟓, 𝟏𝟕-𝟐𝟏

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦: 𝐏𝐬𝐚 𝟒𝟎:𝟕-𝟏𝟎, 𝟏𝟕 “𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝; 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥.”

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋: 𝐋𝐤 𝟏𝟐:𝟑𝟓-𝟑𝟖

𝑲𝒆𝒚 𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆: “…𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒍𝒂𝒎𝒑𝒔 𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈.” (𝒗.35) 

         At the core of the message in today’s Gospel speaks of salvation and the need to remain vigilant for the second coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ and this comes at a very opportune time because there are many of us including those who are already in the renewal who don’t take seriously the teachings of Jesus who has shown us the path to eternal life.

         Reason for this could be our being overly confident that Our God is a forgiving God and that He will forgive those who will seek His forgiveness and repent of their sins. Another reason is a disordered appreciation of our primary purpose in life which is to evangelize and make disciples of all nations.

         And in the pursuit of the Great Commission (𝐌𝐭 𝟐𝟖:𝟏𝟖-𝟐𝟎) confusion at times sets in as there are instances when programs and projects have been prioritized over evangelization and discipleship.

        This brings to mind the case of a particular community whose members no longer attend the teachings and formation made available to them because one of their leaders told them they are getting fat attending teachings and that they should instead go on mission. But without the heart of a disciple, no mission will ever last and so the question of which should come first – formation or mission – will always remain to be a contentious issue.

        There are also times when we vacillate on our decision to commit ourselves to God as we hang-on to the material comforts, albeit fleeting, that the world offers. And we stretch God’s patience with us to the limit, and we think of God when we can no longer find satisfaction with the world, when we find ourselves longing for joy that doesn’t disappear and, when the world we have built collapses and pins us down in the pit of depression and spiritual malaise.

        Lest we set ourselves apart from those in the world, even those to whom God has already revealed Himself can still be living in their own world by dichotomizing the lives they live. On one side is the part wherein he worships God and on the other side is his human side that believes God will tolerate his imperfection.

        What this Gospel for today is telling us is that our entire lives should be lived in interminable preparation for the second coming of Jesus because the expeditious manner by which he will come will not allow for any last-minute repentance. Where Jesus will find us when he comes will determine our eternal salvation. Towards this end, each one of us must know that taking for granted the warning contained in this Gospel is inviting disaster insofar as the salvation of our souls is concerned.

        I grew up in a deeply religious setting, and my parents sent me to a Catholic school where my faith was firmly established. But the world to which I ventured in my growing up years clouded my faith although I did not exactly lose my belief in God.

        Abounding in mercy and love, God found me and led me to a renewal community through the Marriage Encounter and later to the Life in the Spirit Seminar. I could not help but recall the many deaths – violent ones such as armed encounters that I covered as a media practitioner, fatal road accidents and, deaths through natural causes. And the thought that always ran through my mind was that were these people ready when God sent for them.

         The church and every renewal community have their own formation programs that parishioners and members can avail themselves of. These formation programs such as the Christian Discipleship Formation Program (CDFP) of our community are designed to enkindle the virtues of Faith, Hope and Love that have been infused in us during our Baptism and bring these to completion by leading us to a commitment to serve God.

         These formation programs, either in the Church or in the Community, serve their purpose in preparing the lay faithful for the second coming of Our Lord Jesus the Christ. This is why Christian disciples must be formed first before they are sent in the same way that the Apostles were subjected to on-the-job training for three years before they were finally fielded. How we will respond to this invitation will determine our eternal destiny.

         God desires that all men must be saved. Hence, God Himself provides us the time to prepare ourselves for His coming and the 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝟏𝟎𝟓𝟖 assures us: “𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭: ‘𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝, 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮.' 𝐈𝐟 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟, 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐆𝐨𝐝 ‘𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐝' (𝟏 𝐓𝐢𝐦 𝟐:𝟒), 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐦 ‘𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞' (𝐌𝐭 𝟏𝟗:𝟐𝟔).”        

         The reward for heeding the call of Jesus to be watchful is so great that we cannot take it for granted and play around with our souls. In us is the divine nature that God shared with us when we were born into the world. Thus, it means that we must know we all share in the divinity of Christ (𝟐 𝐏𝐞𝐭 𝟏:𝟒) and that our preoccupation is to live our lives in God and with God.

         To prepare is to remain vigilant which means we must take care of our body, soul and spirit and we need to spend our time taking care of others in the Church and or Community and even those who have yet to believe in God. This is the best way to prepare for the second coming of Jesus.

         And after everything has been said the question, we should ask ourselves is: Do I want to be saved? If you think you can put God’s invitation into your pigeonhole and let it remain there for sometime while you step into the world and enjoy its glitter, the fame and fortune that you acquire using the gifts God has given you and, the perks that come with it – try reading and reflecting on the Gospel today and then – THINK AGAIN – because I don’t think you would ever want to be with those who spend their time weeping and gnashing their teeth which is what awaits those who will disregard God’s invitation. (𝘌𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺 – 𝘖𝘤𝘵. 21, 2025)