Are you ready?
After over 25 years of marriage, I still find myself shouting down the passage “are you ready, love” as I try to move Sandra along so that we can get to an appointment on time. Often, I find that I am the one that is not ready, because I soon discover that I don’t have the right shirt on, or my socks are not long enough, or my shoes don’t go with the clothes I am wearing. The lesson, which I am yet to learn, is that instead of worrying about Sandra’s readiness, I should maybe focus on my own?
In our Gospel reading today, Jesus instructs us on the need to always be ready – ready for the one thing that makes us uneasy – death. Jesus reminds us that if we live our lives close to God and make him the centre of our lives then we have nothing to fear when it comes to death. If we are ready to meet God, then we will be part of the “little flock” where our master (God) will serve us. Jesus tells us that life can change at anytime and can be taken away at any time and therefore living a life that is always centred around God is necessary so that we are always ready.
Jesus reminds us also, that in our human frailty we can easily make material things our “god” and in so doing we distance ourselves from God. Peter asks Jesus who the parable was meant for, the answer is simple, all of us. Our call to judgement will come to us like a thief in the night, when we least expect it but we do not need to be unprepared if when it comes, we are living an ordinary life serving God first and foremost and not clinging to our earthly possessions.
So worrying about Sandra being ready on time or me wearing the right shoes does not make us ready for the real appointment, that requires living a true Christian life and I am still very much a work in progress.
Clint Ramoo – Parish Finance Committee Chair
