Reflection From

Fr. John

November 17, 2024

As a nation, we celebrated Veteran’s Day this past Monday. We honored all members of the military, past and present who have served and who are serving our country. We especially honor those men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice and gave their lives for the sake of our great nation and our freedom. During this month of November, we remember those who sacrificed for our safety and freedom, as we pray for all souls. May the Lord grant them eternal rest and peace.

In reflecting on the Gospel for this week, we are reminded of the motto of the United States Coast Guard, Semper Paratus or “Always ready”. Such a motto directly connects to the theme of this week’s Gospel.

Jesus tells us, “But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Mark 13:32) The same verse is found in Matthew 24:36. Similar verses are also found in the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 21. We do not know the day or the hour of the final judgment or even of our own personal judgment. All three of the synoptic Gospels Matthew, Mark and Luke, mention the signs of the end times. In referring to the end times, St. Matthew mentions, “Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of the night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into.” (Matthew 24:43) In both Mark and Matthew’s Gospels, Jesus mentions directly that neither the angels in heaven, nor even the Son, knows the time of the Final Judgment. Let us not be carried away by those false prophets who claim to predict the coming of the end.

While we don’t know the time of judgment, we are all called to be prepared, to be “Always ready.” By striving to live in a state of grace, we prepare ourselves for the time when we will meet Christ face to face. Frequenting the Sacrament of Confession, receiving Holy Communion, attending retreats, and striving to be close to Jesus in the Eucharist, we will prepare ourselves to meet Christ, whenever that may be.

Maybe we haven’t been living a life centered on the Gospel, or striving to be close to Christ. There is no better time or opportunity to grow in our faith than now. In these last two weeks of the liturgical year, what are those bad habits that the Lord is calling us to give up and what are those virtues that God is calling us to foster, so that we can grow in a deeper relationship with Him? How is it that Christ is calling us to place our faith firmly in Him and to place our trust in that which will not pass away? Let us be vigilant and prepare now, for at a time we do not expect, Christ will come, and we do not want to be caught unprepared.

Father John

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