Homily – Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, August 6; Luke 12:35-48
“Ok, students, put away all of your notes and clear your desks…we are having a pop quiz!” We may recall these dreaded words from our teachers when we were in school. Pop quizzes were unpleasant surprises, and they caught us off guard. If you were prepared, it was no problem…but if you didn’t do the assigned reading from the night before, you were doomed!
When things in life catch us off guard, we can become anxious, embarrassed, and angered because we are not ready. Anyone who has been asked to give a presentation or speech on the spot knows just how stressful this can be. But if they knew ahead of time, they would prepare, rehearse and be ready. With that said, I think I’ll turn it over to Father Matt to give the rest of the homily!…Just kidding, I wouldn’t do that to you!
The question for us today is, do we treat our salvation the same way? Are we prepared to meet the Lord if today was our last day on earth? Or would we be caught off guard?
In the Gospel reading, Jesus calls us to be like the vigilant servants who waited for the arrival of their master by keeping their lamps burning and their loins girded. He reminds us how important it is to be watchful and prepared because we don’t know the day or the hour of our death or when Jesus will come again. It is a certain fact that we will see Jesus face to face and be judged by Him. This reality will happen either at our death or at Christ’s Second Coming, which we cannot predict.
Our Lord says, “If the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
When we die, we will have a “particular judgment” where our souls will receive eternal life – either immediately or after time in purgatory – or eternal death. There will also be a a “final judgment” at the end of time when Christ comes again. It is then when all will be judged as a group and publicly and God’s justice and Glory will be fully visible and triumphant. All of the good and evil things we have done will be revealed and we will see how our deeds affected others in positive or negative ways.
We can’t presume that being just a good person is enough to get into heaven. Jesus says that the road that leads to life is like going through a narrow gate and few will find it and that the road to death is broad and those who find it are many. We also can’t guarantee that we will have the opportunity to repent or convert on our deathbed. The Covid-19 Pandemic has been a harsh reminder of how unpredictable death is. It has wreaked havoc on the world and our lives, as death and sickness have affected all of us in some way. Sadly, it has caused many sudden, unexpected deaths, and forever impacted our lives. Preparing our souls is crucial and urgent.
This is not meant to scare us or cause depression…just an important wake up call from the Lord.
There is always Hope and Good News! In the Second Reading, we are reminded that by our baptism, we are also heirs of the same promise and inheritance that God made to Abraham and his descendants. God desires to lead us to our heavenly homeland, for that is what we were made for.
In the Gospel parable, Jesus also tells us that if we are prepared and receive Him with love when He comes knocking at our death, He will be so happy to see us. He will eagerly serve us a meal, just as the master served the servants in the story. This meal will not be an earthly one, but a spiritual one, with Christ Himself as the glorified Lamb at the eternal banquet in heaven. So, when it comes to death, there should be a joyful anticipation, not a hopeless fear.
Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity was a nineteenth century French, Carmelite Nun and she illustrates this happy expectation of death into life. On her death bed, she was radiant because of her deep faith and longing to see Jesus. Her positive attitude and encouragement of others, amidst her suffering astonished her doctor and brought tears to the many people around her. Her last words were, “I am going to the Light, to Love, to Life!”
Yes, it is true that this life is a gift from God, and we should live it to the fullest, but Christ wants us to always be vigilant and keep our eyes fixed on heaven. To do this, we can implement three things into our lives:
(1) Keep burning the lamp of faith, prayer and virtue and develop a living friendship with Jesus.
(2) Gird up our loins by frequent confession and almsgiving to detach from sin and earthly things that won’t matter when we are gone.
(3) Reflect on your death. You’ve probably heard the famous phrase “Memento Mori,” which is Latin means, “Remember that you have to die.” It is an Ancient Catholic tradition of placing a skull – usually plastic – on one’s desk to be a constant reminder of our mortality and how we have a limited time on earth to serve the Lord and prepare for eternal life.
Regarding our death, C.S. Lewis wrote, “when the author walks onto the stage, the play is over. God is going to invade…without disguise…something so overwhelming that it will strike either irresistible love or irresistible horror into every creature. It will be too late then to choose our side. Now, today, this moment is our chance to choose the right side.”
My brothers and sisters, may we be watchful and prepared for our inevitable meeting with Christ. And may we cling to the Lord who is all loving, powerful and forgiving! When we see Jesus, will it be a fearful and uncomfortable moment like meeting a stranger, or will it be a joyful and fulfilling experience, like embracing an old friend? The choice is ours….
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.
By Deacon John Garabedian