Do you tend to postpone important things for your spiritual life? - Daily Reflections August 25, 2016

THERE MIGHT BE NO TOMORROW

 

Today and tomorrow, the Gospel readings have more or less the same message: Be alert and always ready! In other words, Jesus admonishes all of His followers to be vigilant, for lack of vigilance invites disaster. I have heard people say, “Jesus spoke about His Second Coming but after centuries it did not happen.” But do we have to wait for the end of the world to meet the Lord? No! In the hour of our death, we will meet and face Him. And nobody knows when death, like a “thief in the night,” will come to us.

       Many Christians have become lukewarm because they have forgotten the inconvenient truth about death. Jesus is very realistic when He calls for vigilance. But we often become lazy. We postpone a decision to improve our faith life. How often do we promise in confession “not to sin again?” We procrastinate too much, thinking there is no rush. I read a funny story, but it’s a story with a profound message. It goes like this:

       Three apprentice devils prepared to go to earth to finish their apprenticeship. Before they left, they were talking to their master, Satan, about how they would tempt and ruin men. The first said, “I will tell them there is no God.” Satan laughed and said, “That will not delude many, for most know that there is a God.” The second said, “I will tell them there is no hell.” Satan shook his head and answered, “You will deceive no one that way; most know even now that there is a hell for unrepentant sinners.” The third said, “I will tell them there is no hurry.” Satan clapped his hands and shouted, “Go and you will ruin them by the thousand.”

          The most dangerous of all illusions is that there is a lot of time. Many live for today and think that if there is a tomorrow, let tomorrow care for itself.

            When it comes to the future of our souls, things cannot be put off, for nobody knows if there will still be a tomorrow. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

 

REFLECTION QUESTION: Do you tend to postpone important things for your spiritual life?

 

Lord, often I am too complacent when it comes to preparing for my eternal life. Wake me up, Lord, and make me always aware of the urgency to be prepared for Your Second Coming. Amen.