Take Heed and Watch

Today’s Gospel Reading: Mark 13:31-37: 14:1-2 - The Lord said to his disciples, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.  But of that day or that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  Take heed, watch; for you do not know when the time will come.  It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch.  Watch therefore -- for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning -- lest he come suddenly and find you asleep.  And what I say to you I say to all: Watch."  It was now two days before the Passover and the feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth, and kill him; for they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be a tumult of the people."

It seems many Christians have forgotten this warning from our Lord. His words will not pass away, and yet many live as if what He commanded is no longer in effect. Greed, oppression, sexism, pride and the rest of the passions are running wild in our world, yet many Christians seemingly have forgotten that Christ is returning at an unknown moment to judge our hearts and actions. This is why He warns, “Take heed, watch; for you do not know when the time will come.” Many of us spend our day as if there is no judgment coming. We see the coming night not with fear of judgment, but with anticipation for what we can still enjoy in the morning. In a few days the Church will commemorate the Sunday of the Prodigal Son. Are you ready to return to YOUR Father Who is in heaven? Something to consider on this fifth day of the Triodion.