Be honest! We have at times in our life waited too long to take action on something that needed to be done and suffered a consequence for it.
For me it came early in my life. I had decided to do something else with the thought I would still have enough time to get home to join other altar boys picked up by Father Michael Dempsey from my parish to see the Harlem Globetrotters play. I missed them by just minutes and had to wait another 40 plus years before going to see the “show,” as it was called.
Earth shattering? No! But it taught me several good lessons that life goes on with or without me and if I want to be part of something worth doing I need to better prepared to ensure success.
Jesus’ parable about the wedding feast at which five invited guests not only missed the wedding, but lost their connection with the bridegroom forever, is a succinct warning to those who espouse discipleship. Do not expect God to acknowledge us when we take advantage of His patience. Turning our back on God is a disastrous decision because it indicated we are procrastinating: a sign we do not care enough to be one with God in thought, word and deed.
Our Baptism into the Catholic faith consists of a call by God to love Him and our neighbors as He loves us. Our response is a promise to abide by His will so we can receive everlasting life because of Christ’s death on the cross for our sins and salvation through His resurrection. But the promise requires us to be proactive.
Procrastination comes from a lack of setting priorities often caused by fear of failure or not believing we will be included no matter what the situation. Most people view it as arrogance, but to the person being affected, it is more of a desolate feeling in which one believes they are not liked or loved by others. In the incident I cited above, I was both angry and sad: angry at Father Dempsey for not waiting and at myself for choosing something for my own enjoyment and sad that I had missed an opportunity to be part of a group outing with my peers. Even at 12-years-old I understood this.
Jesus tells us in St. Matthew’s Gospel today to “stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour” when God will come so we need to be ready when called to the heavenly Kingdom of God. To do this we need to make a concerted effort to make God a priority in our life as opposed to just one of the things on a list to be accomplished. It’s not about setting a specific time so we can check off some box. We don’t know when our time to pass will happen. We need to be “awake” always when it comes to being an active disciple in the Kingdom of God.
Consider it like breathing. It is a necessary function to our staying alive. Those who have trouble breathing due to illness or physical blockages address the problem with either medical corrections or seek surgical methods to enhance their ability to breathe.
When it comes to prioritizing God in our life, we need to use all the resources available to us so we can function to be one with God in faith, hope and love. We pray, study scripture, take classes, involve ourselves in various programs sponsored by the Church and in general be present to others in need, family, friends or strangers in a selfless manner that puts the priority with those we serve as God does with us He loves. It’s like breathing. We do it to live. In this case, it brings us to a life of eternal salvation because God and all He made is a priority that needs to be loved and nurtured.
Reading 1: Wisdom 6:12-16
Reading 2: First Thessalonians 4:13-18
Gospel: Matthew 25:1-13
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