Holyrood Church 715 West 179 Street, Upper West side Manhattan, USA, 212-923-3770

The challenge here is to stay alert by watching

 

 

Good morning, happy Thursday, and many blessings.

 

As we come to the close of Matthew 24 (today we are in Matthew 24:42-51), Jesus gives his disciples a parable to push home the truth of their need to "watch" for His coming. Remember, the Lord is here talking to his disciples, they have asked Him questions concerning; the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, His parousia (coming back). Their question was basically two-fold; when will these things happen and what signs will precede them?

 

There have been, in the course of the centuries, two extremes of interpretation of what our Lord meant when he said, Watch:

 

There have been those who took it very seriously. They studied the signs of the coming of the Lord which are brought out in predictive passages in both the New Testament and the Old. They became so involved that they actually set dates for the return of Jesus Christ. Again, and again people have said Jesus was coming on a certain day, on the basis of what they found in Scripture.

 

Another extreme interpretation of "watch" is to come to the conclusion that we cannot know the time of the Lord's coming and therefore there is no use to worry about it. Forget it! Just go on living life as you like, until he comes. If he comes, then he comes. It is time enough to worry about it then. In the meantime, go on living as you please regardless of whether he is coming or not. That really is to live as though he were not coming at all. That is what many Christians have settled for.

 

The challenge here is to stay alert watching. But then I wonder; What is the message that Jesus has given me for me to continue putting into practice in my life while I wait? As I try to answer this question these challenges from Jesus come to mind: Deny Yourself and Follow Me; Become a Servant; Gain the World, Forfeit Life; Sell Your Stuff and Give to the Poor; Blessed Are the Persecuted; and The Exalted Will Be Humbled.

 

Jesus warned us that we are too easily distracted by the physical and will be caught unaware if we do not continually discipline ourselves. I think this is the reason why Jesus gave us these parables. If we do not understand the parables, we will not watch the way he tells us to. And if we do not watch, we will be deceived.  

 

We can only remain faithful when we are devoted to prayer. In prayer, we continually allow God to forgive us, cleanse us, teach us, and strengthen us to obey Him. I really believe that when we live with the eager expectation of Jesus’ return and expect persecution until then, we are more likely to keep our lives pure and our hearts ready to meet Him. Are you ready? Is your life in order? If He were to come right now are you prepared to meet him?


Blessings

 

Fr. Luis+

Date news: 
Thursday, August 27, 2020 - 19:15

Ministry at the time of Coronavirus (Covid 19): Prevent, cure and accompany

Now we have to shape what some have started calling; The Church at Home. Although I keep asking myself; What do those who do not have a home do? For this reason, at the same time, I am declaring today in our Holyrood Church a Lenten day of prayer, fasting and reading the Bible in the Time of the Coronavirus.

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