The Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come” 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

From Paul,

Called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and from Sosthenes, our brother,  to God’s Church which is in Corinth; to you whom God has sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with those who everywhere call upon the name of our Lord Christ Jesus, their Lord and ours.

Receive grace and peace from God our Father, and Christ Jesus our Lord.

I give thanks constantly to my God for you and for the grace of God given to you in Christ Jesus. For you have been fully enriched in him with words as well as with knowledge, even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you.

You do not lack any spiritual gift and only await the glorious coming of Christ Jesus, our Lord. He will keep you stead­fast to the end, and you will be with­out reproach on the day of the coming of our Lord Jesus. The faithful God will not fail you after calling you to this fellowship with his Son, Christ Jesus, our Lord.

 

Ps 145:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

I will praise your name forever, Lord.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊  

Matthew 24:42-51

Stay awake, then, for you do not know on what day your Lord will come.  Just think about this: if the owner of the house knew that the thief would come by night around a certain hour, he would stay awake to prevent his house to be broken into.  So be alert, for the Son of Man will come at the hour you least expect.

Imagine a capable servant whom his mas­ter has put in charge of his household to give them food at the proper time.  Fortunate indeed is that servant whom his master will find at work when he comes.  Truly, I say to you, his lord will en­trust that one with everything he has.

 Not so with the bad servant who thinks: My mas­ter is delayed.  And he begins ill-treating his fellow servants while eating and drinking with drunkards. But his master will come on the day he does not know and at the hour he least expects.  He will dismiss that servant and deal with him as with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

 

Gospel Reflection：

Ars Moriendi

It is such an irony that human beings live as if death happens to someone else. Of course, we know that we are mortal; but somehow, we live as if we will live on this earth forever.

The awareness of our mortality or the lack of it impacts our mode of living. As Samuel Johnson said, the prospect of death wonderfully concentrates the mind of a human being. In earlier times, many monks used to dig their own graves and sit in them and meditate.

Even in these days, some contemplative orders continue the practice of each monk preparing one’s own grave. It gives them perspective. One who is aware of death and the reality of giving account of one’s life to the Creator will stay awake and be alert in everything one does. Such person will not be found wanting when his or her time comes to meet with the Lord of Life.

 

"Those who instruct many in virtue will shine like stars for all eternity."

~~~    ST. JOSEPH CALASANZ   ~~~