ready for the big surprise?
"It will be like that on the day the Son of Man is revealed." —Luke 17:30
The end of the world will be like the time of Noah insofar as most people will be oblivious to their imminent destruction (Lk 17:27; see also Lk 17:28-29).
The end of the world will not only be surprising but quick. There will be no time to do anything at the last minute (Lk 17:31).
The only way to be ready for the end of the world and for Jesus' final coming is to lose our lives for love of Jesus (Lk 17:33). We do this by deciding to live no longer for ourselves but for Jesus (2 Cor 5:15). We must decide to deny our very selves, take up Jesus' cross each day, and be disciples of Jesus (Lk 9:23). When we have chosen to do His will rather than "our own thing" (see Mt 26:39), we have been crucified with Christ. Then it is no longer we who live but Christ that lives in us (Gal 2:19-20). Only when we are in Christ and He in us are we ready for Christ at the end of the world.
Christ is coming when we least expect Him (Lk 12:40). He will come "with the suddenness of pains overtaking a woman in labor, and there will be no escape" (1 Thes 5:3). If you are living in Christ and He in you, you are ready. Therefore, cry out "Maranatha!" "Come, Lord Jesus" (Rv 22:20) today — even now!
Prayer: Father, I want to be ready.
Promise: "From the greatness and the beauty of created things their original Author, by analogy, is seen." —Wis 13:5
Praise: St. Frances Xavier Cabrini gave up her dream of evangelizing China and instead obeyed God by working with the poor in the United States.
Reference: (For a related teaching, order our tape Am I Going to Heaven? on audio AV 54-3 or video V-54. For downloading or ordering DC 54-3 or DVD 54, visit www.presentationministries.com.)
Rescript: †Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, April 20, 2015
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