The unknown day and hour

JESUS said to His disciples: “Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: If the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.

“Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household to distribute to them their food at a proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so. Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is long delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with drunkards, the servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”

REFLECTION The Faithful and Prudent Servant. Jesus expects his disciples to be faithful and prudent servants. Faithfulness and prudence are part of being vigilant. The disciples should be prepared for the Lord’s coming by religiously carrying out their responsibilities.

A faithful servant always stands at the service of others. He serves without letup. The other word for prudent in Greek (phronimos) is being thoughtful. The servant must be mindful of his job and should stay focused even in his master’s absence. There should be no fooling around.

A distracted servant becomes violent and beats his fellow servants. He goes with bad company and indulges in vices.

The many distractions we have today make it harder and harder to be vigilant and focused. We no longer think of the Lord’s coming or of our end. We are more vigilant about the latest gadget, product, fashion, or entertainment.

When we become too distracted by unnecessary things, we will find serving our loved ones and community burdensome. Let us remember, “At an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come” (v 44).

Be a faithful and prudent servant.

SOURCE: “365 Days with the Lord 2016,” ST. PAULS Philippines, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328; E-mail: books@stpauls.ph; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.