St. Joseph's Catholic Church

Be Always Ready

There’s a quiet invitation in today’s Gospel—a gentle knock on the door of our hearts. Jesus says, “Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit… You too must be ready.” Ready for what? Not for fear. Not for panic. But for presence. For the presence of the Lord, who often comes not in the whirlwind, but in the whisper; not in the dramatic moment, but in the quiet duty of the day. He comes in the face of a neighbor, in the silence of prayer, in the breaking of bread. And so, to be ready means to be attentive—not anxious, but aware; not restless, but rooted. Readiness is about faithfulness in the present moment, about showing up with love even when no one sees, about believing that the ordinary matters.

Jesus tells us about servants waiting for their master. The faithful servant is not one who keeps checking the time, but one who keeps doing what is good, what is just, what is loving—whether the master returns now or later. In other words, readiness is not about spiritual anxiety; it is about spiritual attentiveness. It’s about being awake to grace in the midst of routine, open to the Spirit in the midst of responsibility.

Perhaps this is the heart of today’s message: live each day with quiet faith, with open eyes and a listening heart. Let your lamp be lit—not only for the final coming of the Lord, but for the daily comings: in the child who needs attention, in the colleague who needs patience, in the person who needs forgiveness. These are the moments when heaven breaks into earth, quietly.

So today, Jesus isn’t just asking us to wait for the future. He’s asking us to be faithful in the now—to love well, to live justly, to walk humbly. And when He does come—whether in a moment or at the end of our lives—may He find us not only ready, but radiant with the quiet joy of those who have lived in trust.