Being Prepared

My study Bible says the parable in today’s Gospel is about urgency and being prepared. The steward is about to be fired so he feels a pressing need to fix his situation. He is praised for this foresight but not for how he did it. 

I think a sense of urgency and preparedness are important for us as well. We do not know when our life on earth will end so it is wise for us to always be spiritually prepared. I believe there is a human tendency to recoil from the idea of our own death. We only know this life and while we may believe in eternity with our loving Father and have great hope in it, we don't know exactly what it is. We may desire it, but not yet. Even so, we should still be prepared. There’s a saying that goes something like, “Live every day as if it were your last,” and there is merit in that sentiment. 

We should feel urgency. We should feel a little pressured. We don’t know when the end will come so we should feel a sense of wanting to be in right relationship with God and others so that when it does come, we are prepared. We don’t want to end up like the steward who realized he hadn’t used his time wisely and, as a result, was looking at a not so great future. 

Happily, our loving Father will assist us if we ask him. He is a gentle teacher who will show us how to be ready and give us the grace we need to prepare. He wants us to be with Him for eternity even more than we want to be with Him.

By Merridith Frediani