November 30th 2025.

[Jesus said] For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken, and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.

POINTERS FOR PRAYER

  1. The ‘coming of the Son of Man’ can be applied to the end of the world, to the moment of death, or to any moment of grace. We are not given advance notice as to when any of these will happen, so the message is to be alert and ready. When have you found that your alertness meant that you were able to receive an unexpected grace (e.g. take an opportunity which presented itself or respond to a hint from another person that you might easily have missed, etc.).
  2. One of the enemies of alert living is constant busyness. Have you ever found that being caught up in your own agenda makes you less sensitive to what is happening around you? Recall times when you paused in your relentless busyness and were rewarded by a significant interchange with another person, a moment of grace.
  3. You probably know the difference between being ready for a visitor and the unannounced caller who catches you unprepared. Let the memory of the discomfort of being caught off guard spur you on to a constant readiness for the coming of the Lord.

From today, we have three and a half weeks until Christmas Day. This is, perhaps, good news even for shoppers, though words such as frantic and costly come to mind. But maybe this year, we — I — could choose how to arrive at the great feast of the birth of Jesus refreshed in mind and spirit. As one four-year-old put it once at a children’s Mass — with the bell-like clarity of children — we are celebrating the birth of God. Something worth celebrating! So, how can we arrive at Christmas refreshed, more awake, more alive? The key is to be open to the surprise of God.