drop everything
"Jesus said to them, 'Come after Me.' " —Mark 1:17
Jesus is here. Drop everything. Imitate the Ninevites who stopped the workings of their whole society in order to fast, put on sackcloth, and repent (Jon 3:5). When Simon and Andrew met Jesus, they dropped their fishing business (Mk 1:18). James and John did the same thing in addition to leaving behind their father, Zebedee (Mk 1:20).
Because Jesus is here and will come again in glory, husbands should live as though they did not have wives (1 Cor 7:29), that is, they should at times temporarily abstain from marital relations so that they can pray and fast (1 Cor 7:5). Those who are weeping or rejoicing (1 Cor 7:30) should stop thinking about how they feel, because "the time is short" (1 Cor 7:29) and "the kingdom of God is at hand" (Mk 1:15, our transl). Moreover, those who are buyers and involved in the world's system (see 1 Cor 7:30-31) need to start financial planning for the time when a person will not be allowed "to buy or sell anything unless he was first marked with the name of the beast" (Rv 13:17). "The world as we know it is passing away" (1 Cor 7:31).
Christ has died. Drop everything. Christ is risen. Drop everything. Christ will come again. Drop everything. Jesus is Lord!
Prayer: Father, free me from being possessed by my possessions.
Promise: "Repent and believe in the Gospel." —Mk 1:15, our transl.
Praise: Praise Jesus, the only Way to the Father! Praise Jesus, risen from the dead! Praise Jesus, soon to come.
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Robert L. Hagedorn, July 21, 1999
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, July 29, 1999