+ RWS 781
November 12,
2017 / 32nd Sunday in
Ordinary Time
Gospel: Matthew 25: 1-13
“Therefore, stay awake, for you know
neither the day nor the hour.”
Fear
of the unknown
By Bishop Precioso D. Cantillas, SDB, DD
There are things in our life that we do
not know and therefore we feel afraid about them.
One of
these unknown things that Jesus reminds us is the “day or the hour” that we
will meet the Lord in glory. This moment certainly is at the moment of death,
when we end our bodily and earthly life and activity. But, Jesus emphasized
more our being alert and awake in doing what is good and proper to our human
life than knowing the date and time of death. Our efforts to live and work
according to God’s will for us are the best approach of eliminating the fear of
the unknown time of our earthly departure.
Spending one’s energy, time and talents as
a way of preparing well our earthly end, which is the moment of our glorious
encounter with God, is an important perspective of our human life. After all,
God has given us life and everything we do with it, in order to be happy with
Him. The period of our earthly existence is like a “probation period” in our
journey towards regaining the fullness of life and happiness with God. If we
live and work united with God, spending all our energies and talents with love
for their Source, the certainty of enjoying His eternal friendship and presence
would vanish all fears of what comes after life on earth. Doing every task at
home, in the work place, or in any circumstance of life, with the certainty of
one’s faith or belief in Jesus, will root out all kinds of fears, anxieties and
insecurities in life. Doing one’s ordinary duties or work in an extraordinary
manner, that is, with faith and love for God, makes one peaceful, joyful, and
courageous in facing the unknown.
Being
prepared
By Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS
Today’s gospel story offers lessons that
can be applied to so many aspects of work and life. In the workplace, it could
show us the ill effects of procrastination.
If we put aside the day’s work, and make a habit of it, time comes when
we’re too swamped with backlog, reducing our productivity and efficiency—so we
shouldn’t wonder why we don’t get a pay increase.
In community life, the lesson could be:
preparedness. On television and radio we
are constantly taught what to do during an earthquake, or what to pack in
preparation for a typhoon. Often, too,
these words “…stay awake,
for you know neither the day nor the hour…” are taken as a
warning against sudden death, a timely reminder considering the multiple deaths
in our midst nowadays as reflected in the news—terrorists attacking public
places, tandem bikers shooting people with impunity, EJKs, even young men dying
from hazing.
But staying awake and being ready for the
unexpected “day” or “hour” is not always about physical preparation. We are
not only bodies, we are spirit, too. If
we strive to recognize how God works in our lives we can make ourselves ready
for anything. Prayer makes us stay in
touch with God; in our silence and stillness, God, our Loving Father and Friend,
helps us understand what is going on in and around us, and shows us our place
in creation. Our world may be full of
distractions but a healthy relationship with God protects us from being
enslaved by these distractions—and keeps
us grounded, well balanced, and prepared, no matter the day or the hour.
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