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I was born on a
Sunday morning. I don’t remember much about it. But they
tell me that my parents were at a party the night before,
and that I ruined the party. It was on a Monday morning
back in 1990 that I found out that my brother had died.
Monday mornings would never be the same. It was on a
Tuesday that terrorists crashed four jetliners on Sept. 11th,
2001. Remember watching that second plane hit the World
Trade Center live? It was the sickest feeling. And Tuesday
mornings would never be the same. It was on a Wednesday
that I got my driver’s license. Ah, freedom at last! I
will always remember driving around by myself for the first
time on a cloudy October Wednesday afternoon. It was
great. It was on a Thursday several years after I got my
license, that I had my first accident. My truck spun out of
control that night on the ice. It would make drive a little
more careful on Thursdays. It was on a Friday night that I
first kissed a girl. I was in sixth grade. I was on
top-of-the-world. I was not the first boy that she had
kissed. And it was on a Saturday that I was ordained. It
was in July and mostly what I remember is how hot it was
that day. We all have memories of lots of different days in
our lives. The days come and go, but some of them stick out
and stick with us longer than others. There are many things
that we can plan about our lives and the days of our lives.
We can pick our wedding day, or the day we move, or the day
that we start a new job. We don’t get to pick the day that
we were born, or the day that we fall in love, or even the
day that we die. And, as our Gospel points out today,
there’s another day that we don’t control, and that’s the
day of the Second Coming.
St. Marks’ Gospel goes
out of its way to point out that nobody is going to know the day
or the hour. Not the angels, not the saints, not the Son, but
only the Father knows what day time is going to end. And that’s
probably best. There’s already enough guessing and conjecture
about the last days. Our job is NOT to know the day. Our job
is to be ready and to be prepared. As we come to our last
readings of the liturgical year, Sacred Scripture and the Church
are reminding us all that we don’t have forever. Time is
running out. The days are flying by. A gathering of God’s
Elect is going to take place. My brothers and sisters, now is
our time to make sure that we are living as God’s holy people.
So many people think that
they live whatever kind of lives that they want to, and that
there are no ramifications. So what if we are living together
and we’re not married? So what if I am not being faithful to my
spouse and to my family? So what if my computer has more porn
on it than some adult bookstores? So what if I’m taking a
little extra from my employer? Many, many people think that
there are no ramifications or consequences. This Gospel at the
end of out liturgical year is reminding us that a judgment is
coming. A separation is going to take place. And where are we
going to be on that day, whatever and whenever that day is? Are
we going to be taken with God’s Elect? Or will we be left
behind with those who put their trust in the world, and who
thought that nobody was watching?
My brothers and sisters,
this is holy time right now. Everyday, we are choosing Heaven
or Hell. By our words, by our actions, and even by our
thoughts, we are accepting or rejecting the Gospel of our Lord
Jesus Christ. A Judgment Day is coming for all of us. Now is
our time to get ready. We are not guaranteed a certain amount
of time. The message today is not about how much or how long,
it is about being constantly ready and prepared, to stand before
our God. How would you fare if you had to stand before God
today? Would you be going to Heaven, or at least Purgatory? Or
would you be headed someplace else? The choice is ours. God is
not going to have to send us to Hell because we do it to
ourselves. This is a somber message today. There’s no real way
to sugar-coat the message from today’s readings. Make no
mistake about it, this is a warning. God and His Church
desperately want us to be ready, to be prepared. Are we? The
time is now to make some changes.
I know the day that I was
born into this world. I don’t know that day I’m going to leave
it. None of us do. Our job is to be prepared, to be ready.
Rather than worrying about the day or the hour, how about if we
just concentrated on living the way that Jesus taught us. In
the end, that’s what’s going to matter.
May God bless us as we
continue to strive to be His people, Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit… AMEN !!!
St. Maria
Goretti… Pray for us !!! |
