Homily For Tuesday Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 22nd October 2024

Readings: Eph.2:12-22, Ps.84:9-14, Luke 12:36-38

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

WILL YOU BE READY WHEN THE LORD SHALL COME?

There are two most important events in our life as a human person. One is well known, prepared and constantly celebrated, that is, our birthday. The other, which is the ultimate, is not known and less attention and preparation is being made for it, that is, the day of our departure from this world.

So, Jesus, knowing how important this day is, instructed his disciples in our Gospel passage today, saying: “Be like men waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast, ready to open the door as soon as he comes and knocks. It may be in the second watch he comes, or in the third, wait for him, for happy are those servants if he finds them ready when he comes.”

Here, we have a scenario which illustrates the unexpected approach of the coming of Christ, which will be a great surprise to those who are asleep as they will be missing out on the heavenly joy and also be deprived of their earthly treasures. But for those that shall be found awake and ready, the Lord's coming will be a happy day, while for those that are not prepared, it will be very dreadful. Thus our ignorance of the day and time of his coming is the reason for our watchfulness, so we must be awake and ready at all times.

And St. Paul, in our first reading, made us know that we are no longer aliens or foreign visitors: we are citizens like all the saints and part of God’s household. We are part of a building that has the apostles and prophets as its foundations and Christ Jesus himself as its main cornerstone. For this reason, we should be more prepared and ready for that glorious day of the Lord.

Dear friends, will you be ready when the Lord shall come? For we are called today to be ready. We are called to repentance. We are called to embrace the new life the Lord is offering us. We are called to a life of constant struggle towards perfection in order to embrace the Lord whenever he comes. Therefore, preparation is the key word. Let us not be deceived when the world suggests to us that the day of death is not coming soon so forget who we are, and then, the day and time will take us by surprise.

Rather, let us be like those wise servants who are prepared at all times for the coming of the master. Thus, we must change our disposition, especially as regards our attitude towards the things of this passing world, in order to embrace more of the things that will lead us to our heavenly kingdom, for we are nothing but travellers in this world.

LET US PRAY, Lord God; today, you ask us to be ready for your coming; increase in us the desire to be prepared and ready for that inevitable event of death so that whenever it comes, it will not be a shock to us, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. It's a lovely day, may God bless your efforts and grant success to the works of your hands.