The Lord Jesus calls us to watch and be ready.

The practice of life teaches us that every vital work must be carried out in conjunction with the virtue of watchfulness. The driver watches behind the wheel; the policeman watches to prevent burglary and theft; the doctor watches in the emergency room to protect human lives; parents watch in raising a child to prepare him for life… “Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord will come” (Mt 24:42). These words of the Lord Jesus are so solemn that every person should realize their meaning, and all the more so by those who believe that life here on earth does not end with death. We have been contemplating the severe condemnation of the leaders of the Jewish nation when the Lord Jesus said to them: “Woe!” And this Gospel follows on from that, for by it, the Lord Jesus warns us of an impending but inevitable judgment, an encounter with him as God the Judge. No man knows when that moment will come, so we must adopt the virtue of watchfulness. He explains the meaning of watchfulness in three parables:

In the first of these, he speaks of preparedness. He describes a thief who has come to steal, but the owner-landlord is watchful and protects his property. So the Christian must also always be ready and watch because he does not know when he will have to stand before the face of his Judge. Perhaps it will be by day, perhaps by night… Therefore, we should be concerned about how we will stand before God.

The second parable shows us that we must prepare ourselves for this encounter by living a discerning life. It speaks of a faithful and wise servant who is conscientious in his duties, and when the owner comes and finds him acting this way, he will make his servant the steward of his property. For the believer, this means that he is not to fret over when the Lord comes but to be ever ready, knowing that his Lord will indeed come one day. Therefore, he pays attention to his work because he understands that this is the surest guarantee, the surest way to prepare for the coming of G-d the Judge. Such conduct gives him peace and joy.

In the third parable, the Lord Jesus points out the negative example of the evil servant who acts unwisely because on the very night when he is confident that his master will not come, the exact opposite happens. The master arrives and finds a mess, for which he rightly punishes the dishonest servant. This parable instructs us not to allow ourselves to say: I am young, I am healthy, I have many responsibilities ahead of me, I assume that it will not be too soon, I will have time to prepare so that I will enjoy some more. But the Lord will come, and this unreasonable behavior might not have a happy ending. The sudden arrival of the Lord Jesus may reveal wrongdoing. Worse, there will be nothing to correct, nothing to make excuses for, nothing to justify because one knows what is the duty of a “steward” here on earth. Nothing is here forever, but only for a time appointed by its owner-God.

As we ponder these parables, we realize the solemnity of the word bedel. It is fitting, for this is what the Lord Jesus wants to put in our hearts today. Be ready! Watch, for you know neither the day nor the hour! When we often remind ourselves of this, though we may feel fear at the same time, it is also a fear of this encounter, always for our benefit, for our use only, and therefore an open the door to a state of bliss. Therefore, let these words act powerfully upon our reason and feelings, and we shall be convinced of their correctness. In practice, however, these words can also bring us to our knees in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Holy Confession, as a gift from the Lord Jesus, is at the same time forgiveness of our previous misconduct as stewards, or it is an encouragement to us to persevere as good stewards when we have hitherto tried to fulfill what has been imposed upon us by the Owner-our God. We are convinced again and again that the teachings of the Lord Jesus want to empower the modern believer, enrich him, and give him a taste of a bit of heaven already here on earth in his life. Therefore, a little self-denial will only do us good and benefit us.

Just as various jobs require watchfulness, whether in a chauffeur, a security guard, a doctor, or a parent, how much more must we all realize this about the last things of our lives?