- Matt 24:42-51
- The Unknown Day and Hour
OTHER HOMILY SOURCES from Fr. Mike Lagrimas
2020 Fr. Mike’s Daily Homily
August 27, 2020 (Thursday in Ordinary Time – Week 21)
Mt 24:42‐51
“Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.
“Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household to distribute to them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so. Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is long delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with drunkards, the servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”
There is a beautiful song that was very popular some decades ago. It says, “From a distance, God is watching us.” In the light of the Mystery of the Incarnation, this statement may not be too accurate. God is Emmanuel, God-with-us. He is not only watching us from distance, but is totally immersed in human history when the Son of God became Incarnate in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Yet, this statement still holds true. In the history of religions, God is generally represented as the being with eyes on all sides. Even in ancient Catholic art, there is this triangular image with a big eye at the center. This means God is the absolute seeing.
Pope Benedict XVI says something about this: “God is an eye. God is the act of seeing. And behind this lies the fundamental experience of man: he knows that he is known. He knows that there is no definitive hiddenness. He knows that his life lies open at every point to an act of seeing, from which there is no concealment or escape. His life is a ‘state of being seen.’” (“The God of Jesus Christ, Ignatius Press, p. 18).
This brings to mind the account in Genesis after the Fall. Adam hid from God. The Lord God then called out to him: “Where are you?” (Gen 3:9). Of course, God knows where he is; He sees him all the time. His question here is no different from any other parent who asks a question to their child, when they already know the answer. God wants Adam to answer, to reveal himself to God, and to confess. Man cannot hide from God for He is the act of absolute seeing.
The reading today is part of the Eschatological Discourse in Matthew’s Gospel. It is concerned the Last Things – death, the Parousia (or second coming of Christ), final judgment, heaven and hell. The Gospel today is an exhortation for us to prepare for the coming of Jesus Christ as Judge of both the living and dead. Absolutely no one knows when this will take place. Hence, the need to be prepared all the time. And the best preparation is to be constantly faithful to God in every moment of our earthly life.
We should be the faithful stewards that the Gospel is talking about. We must always be aware of the fact that God sees everything everywhere and every time. We cannot hide, for God is the eternal presence who sees us constantly.
There is a story about a boy who loved basketball. He joined the team in school, but since there are more talented players than him, the coach rarely needs him. So he just sat on the bench during most of the games. Nevertheless, his father was always there at every game, cheering for the team. Despite being a benchwarmer, the boy never missed practice. After a couple of years, his father died. He told the coach that he cannot come to the practice and the crucial game the next day. The coach did not mind his being absent. But the next day, the boy came in the middle of the game, and pleaded: “Coach, please let me play.” Of course the coach was not inclined to do so because his team is trailing behind in this crucial game. However, feeling sorry for the boy, the coach let him play. And to the amazement of everyone, the boy played incredibly well! He, in fact, led the team to its come-from-behind victory. The coach was most bewildered , and enthused, “My boy, that was amazing! How did you do that?” The boy replied, ʺWell, you knew my dad just died. He comes here every time we play. But did you know that he was blind? Today is the first time he could see me play, and I didn’t want to disappoint him! I played my best because I knew he was watching me.ʺ (Adapted from G. Boronat, iPray with the Gospel).
Our heavenly Father sees everything. He is watching us all the time. This we must always remind ourselves. We cannot entertain the idea that “when the cat is away, the mouse is at play.” God is never away. Life in this world, after all, is just like a game: it begins and it eventually ends. So, in this ‘game of life’, let us play our very best! Let us not disappoint Him. May we all be the faithful and prudent stewards of our Eternal Master.
Fr. Mike Lagrimas
St. Michael the Archangel Parish
Diocese of Novaliches
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