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Gospel passages about the Lord’s Second Coming are usually given to us in Advent, paired, as they are, with Old Testament passages predicting His First Coming. We, however, live in the interim between the First and Second Comings, witnessing what is often described as His Third Coming: receiving Him in His Real Presence in the Eucharist.
But here we are, in the middle of Summer, where we’ve had several weeks’ worth of instructions about discipleship whose ultimate message has been, “Come, follow me.” What the Lord is saying here, however, is something more like, “I’m coming to you.”
So, we learn today about preparation for the Lord’s Second Coming as something we should look forward to, not in fear and trepidation, but in peace, and even in joy. The way in which we look at this event is dependent upon what we expect to happen. The Lord Himself has told us that this will be a Day of Judgment, which probably contributes to the “fear factor” for those who take Him seriously.
However, the Lord has said, “Do not be afraid.” This is a message we hear frequently in the Gospel of Luke, but it’s generally spoken by an angel to humans, whereas here the words come from the Lord Himself. Not only does He tell us not to be afraid, He goes on to say that “The Father is pleased to give you the Kingdom.” This bears repeating: “The Father is pleased to give you the Kingdom.” It is the Father’s Will that we be with Him in heaven for all eternity. The Teaching and Ministry of Christ are given and lived in order to reveal this to us, and to prepare us for heaven.
Then the Lord goes on to deliver a brief Parable about servants who are either prepared, on the one hand, or complacent, on the other… and tells us what they can expect. The message at the core of the story is one of vigilance: religious and spiritual wakefulness that is lived not in fear of being caught unready, but in hope of being found attuned to God. What will this look like? Words like frequency… regularity… and constancy come to mind when describing our prayer life. Further, the Lord offers a clue that is profound in its simplicity when He says, “Where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.”
This echoes, to a certain degree, what we heard Him say last week: “Be rich in what matters to God.” I suggested then that, from divine Revelation, what matters to God are such things as protection of the sanctity of life… encouragement in human love… and promotion of the objectivity of Truth.
Vigilance in prayer will enable us to “treasure” these things and turn our hearts toward what matters to God. If we’re poor in what matters to God, then, it seems, greater vigilance in prayer will be required. There is a Saint who has lived in our lifetime who embodied this vigilance, and therefore was able to accomplish incredible things: Saint John Paul the Great. His faith was his greatest treasure, lived not only in his heart, but throughout his life in his prayer, his courage, his teaching, and his leadership.
Attending seminary “underground” during the Nazi occupation of Poland, then assuming leadership there during the Communist occupation, his eventual first words from the balcony of Saint Peter’s were exactly what Our Lord says to us today: “Be not afraid!” He certainly grew up, and then ministered, in an age of fear, yet his vigilance in prayer (as many people who knew him well, spoke of) gave him lion-hearted courage to overcome adversity and nearly single-handedly bring down European Communism.
Our fears and anxieties may seem as nothing when compared to such heroism, but we all suffer in our own ways, and that anxiety can be paralyzing when it comes to acting-out our faith. Vigilance in prayer will bring Grace to what we suffer, empowering us to move forward into a grace-filled… more serene… and virtuous life.
This being said, the Lord saves His strongest criticism for those who are complacent — that is — those who know what faith is and what it demands, and do not act upon it. So, gird your loins and light your lamps, because the Lord has the right to make demands of each of us. Putting time, energy and creativity into our prayer, worship and good works, will make us ready for the Lord’s Coming, and will help us to look forward to it beyond fear, and in hope… because the Father is pleased to give us the Kingdom.