the baptized "wait with joyful hope"
"As regards specific times and moments, brothers, we do not need to write you; you know very well that the day of the Lord is coming like a thief in the night." —1 Thessalonians 5:1-2
We will be ready when Jesus returns if we:
- are "children of light and of the day" (1 Thes 5:5),
- do not belong to darkness or night (1 Thes 5:5),
- are not "asleep like the rest, but awake and sober" (1 Thes 5:6; cf Eph 5:14), and
- are "putting on faith and love as a breastplate and the hope of salvation as a helmet" (1 Thes 5:8; cf Eph 6:17).
In other words, we will be ready for Jesus' return if we are baptized into Jesus and faithfully living our Baptisms. The way to be ready for Jesus' coming at a future date is to be preoccupied with Jesus' presence now. If we love Jesus with all our hearts and souls (see Mk 12:30), we are ready for anything. Otherwise, we are not ready for the most important events of life.
Consequently, let us repent of our sins, go to Confession, and renew our Baptisms. Let us reject Satan, all his works, and all his empty promises. Let us believe boldly and joyfully in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Those living their Baptisms spontaneously cry out Maranatha! "Come, Lord Jesus!" (Rv 22:20)
Prayer: Father, may I know and live the radical newness which comes from Baptism (Lay Members of Christ's Faithful People, Pope St. John Paul II, 10).
Promise: "They were spellbound by His teaching, for His words had authority." —Lk 4:32
Praise: With unswerving faith, Pope St. Gregory faced barbarian invasions and guided the Church in decadent times.
Rescript: †Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, February 15, 2019
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