Be prepared. Stay awake.

"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."  (Matthew 24: 43 NABRE)

If I know what time the thief is coming, I would alert the police and hire security guards.   Everyone will like to know his final hour on this earth.  Alas, it is hidden from us. 

Scripture counsels us:  "It is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed."  (Romans 13: 11) And then:  "Let us then throw off the works of darkness [and] put on the armor of light."  (Romans 13:12) And finally, we are to put on as a garment the Lord Jesus Christ and make zero provision for the desires of the flesh.  (Romans 13: 14)

Nothing is more helpful here than the motto of the Boys Scout:  "Be Prepared!  You do not know when it will happen.  (Matthew 24: 44)

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11-27

"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."  (Matthew 24: 43 NABRE)

If I know what time the thief is coming, I would alert the police and hire security guards.   Everyone will like to know his final hour on this earth.  Alas, it is hidden from us. 

Scripture counsels us:  "It is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed."  (Romans 13: 11) And then:  "Let us then throw off the works of darkness [and] put on the armor of light."  (Romans 13:12) And finally, we are to put on as a garment the Lord Jesus Christ and make zero provision for the desires of the flesh.  (Romans 13: 14)

Nothing is more helpful here than the motto of the Boys Scout:  "Be Prepared!  You do not know when it will happen.  (Matthew 24: 44)

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Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord.

"Marana tha! Come, Lord Jesus!"   (1 Corinthians 16:22b; see Rev 22:20  NABRE)

"Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD; let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us joyfully sing psalms to him.

Marana tha! Come, Lord Jesus!

For the LORD is a great God,
and a great king above all gods;
In his hands are the depths of the earth, and the tops of the mountains are his.
His is the sea, for he has made it, and the dry land, which his hands have formed.

Marana tha! Come, Lord Jesus!

Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God, and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides." (Psalm 95:1-2, 3-5, 6-7ab)

Marana tha! Come, Lord Jesus!

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11-26

"Marana tha! Come, Lord Jesus!"   (1 Corinthians 16:22b; see Rev 22:20  NABRE)

"Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD; let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us joyfully sing psalms to him.

Marana tha! Come, Lord Jesus!

For the LORD is a great God,
and a great king above all gods;
In his hands are the depths of the earth, and the tops of the mountains are his.
His is the sea, for he has made it, and the dry land, which his hands have formed.

Marana tha! Come, Lord Jesus!

Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God, and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides." (Psalm 95:1-2, 3-5, 6-7ab)

Marana tha! Come, Lord Jesus!

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My words will never pass away.

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away."   (Luke 21: 33)

Which two things does God exalt simultaneously always and everywhere?
#1. His Name
#2.   His Word

God's word is also His Law, Decree and Promise.  It cannot pass away.
Has God promised you anything?  Be confident with great expectation.  It will be fulfilled in the fullness of time.  Do not behave like Saul who waited for seven literal days and abandoned his promise. (1 Samuel 13: 8)  Behave rather like David who after he was already anointed king, waited for over 15 years living in exile until the fulfilment of the promise in his coronation.  Like David, use the tool of prayer, psalms and songs to water the seed of your promise.

St Monica prayed for the conversion of her son, Augustine and watered the seed with her tears for about 30 years before God answered her prayer.  St Augustine turned out to be one of the greatest Fathers and Doctors of the Church in the 2000 year history of the Church.

Wait for the Lord.  Be confident.  Wait for Him.  (Psalm 27: 14)

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We give You thanks Almighty Father for these gifts and all Your benefits.

"Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,  always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."  (Ephesians 5: 19-20)

What to give thanks for this Thanksgiving Day and Season.  Consider the following:
The gift of Faith
Eucharist
Word of God
Mercy
Health
Family
Job
Your home, cars, smartphones
Peace of heart
Food
Etc, Etc.

Let us pray:
Father all-powerful
Your gifts of love are countless
And Your goodness infinite;
As we come before You on Thanksgiving Day with gratitude for Your kindness,
Open our hearts to have concern
For every man, woman, and child,
So that we may share Your gifts in loving service.
Through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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You are not to prepare your defense before hand.

"They will seize and persecute you."  (Luke 21: 12)

When you contemplate the signs of the times, do you see signs that the age of comfortable Christianity is over?  Are you ready?

The warning of Jesus is full of foreboding but they are also full of comfort.  Don’t worry about what to say when you are handed over to civilian authorities.  The battle we face are not against flesh and blood.  We square off against principalities and powers, high ranking officers in the army of Satan.  (Ephesians 6: 12)  Armor of flesh will be completely useless.  We will be equipped with the weapons forged in heaven which will dismantle satanic strongholds.  (2 Corinthians 10: 4)

The battle is not yours but the Lord's.  (2 Chronicles 20: 15)  Therefore do not be afraid.

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Teacher, when will this happen?

"The Lord comes to judge the earth."  (Psalm 96 : 13)

We are in the last days of the Church Year.  The Holy Spirit who inspires the scriptures that are read in the Church throughout the year, throughout the world focuses our attention on two themes:
#1. Second Coming of Jesus
#2. Judgment

What do you think of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the Final Judgment? Remote and far fetched!  Then listen to this:
"Use your sickle and reap the harvest, for the time to reap has come, because the earth's harvest is fully ripe."  (Revelation 14:15)

The clusters were harvested and thrown into the great wine press of God's fury.   (Revelation 14: 19)
Are you paying attention to the signs of the times?
Those who remain faithful until death, will be given the crown of life.  (Revelation 2: 10)

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This poor widow put in more than all the rest.

“This poor widow has put in more than all the others."  (Luke 21: 3)

Why did Jesus praise the poor widow in the Temple?  She understood the spirit of offering.  God gave her everything she has.  Why offer to God a paltry 10%? She understood that God deserves all.  100%.  She knew that nobody can outdo God in generosity.  How could a poor widow be full of such spiritual understanding?  

"God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs."  (Matthew 5:3 NLT)

The wealthy who made their offerings alongside the widow offered their surplus, their leftover to God.  Not good enough, says Jesus.

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