For those who are not alert will be “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage” and they might just get caught in the flood rather than finding themselves safe in the ark.
The other day, I heard a story about a young man who had died very suddenly and as I listened to this very sad story of the grief of the family that he left behind, I also began to think about my late father-in-law.
Almost forty years ago, my father-in-law went out to work in the morning, and did not live to return home in the afternoon. His children went to school that morning, saying goodbye to their father, and came home in the afternoon to see him laid out in a coffin.
And that was how quickly his earthly life was ended.
And I have been praying for the repose of his soul as I have been reflecting on this…
You see, stories like this one and the story I heard the other day, remind me that I must always be alert – for we truly do not know the “the day your Lord is coming.” (Matthew 24:44).
And Christ said, “As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they did not know until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man… Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” (Matthew 24:37-44).
And this is sort of like preparing for a big exam. The work to be done before-hand is far greater than the work that follows afterwards. You see, Just as Our Lord told us to be prepared, so too must I PREPARE MYSELF for Him. For just as He came for the soul of the young man I recently heard about, and for my father-in-law so many years ago, so too will He come for my soul, when I least expect it. And just as I can do better in an exam that I have prepared for, so too can I “do better” in my final judgement, if I hold that firmly in front of my mind.
For if I remain alert, I shall be ready. And if I am ready, I shall be able to present to God. I shall not only be living my life on the chance that I will die – but I will be living my life based on that certainty. And that means that I must become a saint when nobody is watching, for my God is watching all the time.
So, when I consider today all the thousands of souls who will go to their judgement today, it occurs to me to pray for all souls to be alert. For those who are not alert will be “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage” and they might just get caught in the flood rather than finding themselves safe in the ark.
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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