Jesus' Eagerness to Find Us Ready When He Comes for Us

In today's gospel, Luke 12: 39-48, Jesus tells us that we "must be prepared"  for His coming, for God will come like a thief in the night, that is, "at an hour[we] do not expect."   Jesus wants us to be ready when the Lord comes to take us home to heaven, that is, engaged in doing what the Lord commissioned us to do at our baptisms, our confirmations, our marriages, our profession of vows as men/women religious, as priests, as parents and husbands/wives, as sons/daughters and/or as single men and women involved in careers by which we do good for others and make the world a better place in which to live.  How sad if, on the contrary, we are found wanting, not engaged in doing the good we were sent here to do and, on the contrary, being irresponsible, indifferent, uncaring, unloving, dishonest, corrupt, abusive stewards, engaged in sinful practises, distant from the Lord and fellow human beings, unaware of unmet human needs,  and, in fact, not even knowing who the Lord is, who our neighbor is and who is in need of our compassion, love, and caring hearts!  "That servant who knew his master's will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall"  receive the consequences one justly deserves. Likewise, the servant who embraces the will of his/her Master will be justly rewarded for the good in which he/she engaged while waiting for his/her Master's return . 

We need to realize that God does not sent us on a mission and then not give us the graces we need to carry out that mission.  He equips us with the wisdom, the strength, the courage, the ability to live a disciplined life whereby justice is served, love between one another grows, forgiveness is rendered and mercy and compassion flourish!  God also gives us the graces needed to tend to the "weeds" in our garden in such a way that the will of our Father in heaven is not thwarted!

What a generous, caring, loving Master!  How can we not be vigilant for His return, knowing that, before His ascension into heaven, He promised to come back to us and take us with Him and that He would be with us until the end of our time here on earth!