Summary: Jesus teaches the importance of being prepared and vigilant, comparing it to servants waiting for their master’s return. He warns that the Son of Man will come unexpectedly, so we must always be ready.
Gospel Acclamation: Be vigilant at all times and pray that you may have the strength to stand before the Son of Man. (Luke 21:36)
Jesus said to his disciples: “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.
And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”