Matthew 25:13
"Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour."
One of my favorite times of the year is Christmas. As a child we learned the song, Santa Claus is Coming To Town. One of the key lyrics is the opening line, "You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, I'm telling you why: Santa Claus is coming to town." It stirs up great anticipation and excitement for children the world over. It's also a warning for those same kids that they better be ready and not mess up what could be a tremendous bounty!
Jesus echoes those same sentiments to his followers in today's reading from Matthew. He tells the story of the ten virgins who were anticipating the bridegroom (Jesus). Some were ready and others weren't. Those that were buttoned up and prepared gained entrance to the wedding feast (Heaven) and those that weren't were left out. Like children waiting for Christmas, we need to be ready at all times for ticket to get punched to the great heavenly feast. Today's passage is a reminder to us to always be ready for our call. We all have the invitation, but are you ready to go? It also gives us hope that there is still time to prepare spiritually by using each day, each moment to the fullest. Start preparing today!
