20250902 PREPARING FOR THE DAY OF THE LORD
02 September 2025, Tuesday, 22nd Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
1 Thessalonians 5:1-6,9-11 |
Keep strengthening one another
You will not be expecting us to write anything to you, brothers, about ‘times and seasons’, since you know very well that the Day of the Lord is going to come like a thief in the night. It is when people are saying, ‘How quiet and peaceful it is’ that the worst suddenly happens, as suddenly as labour pains come on a pregnant woman; and there will be no way for anybody to evade it.
But it is not as if you live in the dark, my brothers, for that Day to overtake you like a thief. No, you are all sons of light and sons of the day: we do not belong to the night or to darkness, so we should not go on sleeping, as everyone else does, but stay wide awake and sober. God never meant us to experience the Retribution, but to win salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that, alive or dead, we should still live united to him. So give encouragement to each other, and keep strengthening one another, as you do already.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 26(27):1,4,13-14 |
I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.
The Lord is my light and my help;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
before whom shall I shrink?
I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.
There is one thing I ask of the Lord,
for this I long,
to live in the house of the Lord,
all the days of my life,
to savour the sweetness of the Lord,
to behold his temple.
I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.
I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness
in the land of the living.
Hope in him, hold firm and take heart.
Hope in the Lord!
I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.
Gospel Acclamation | Heb4:12 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The word of God is something alive and active:
it can judge secret emotions and thoughts.
Alleluia!
Or: | Lk7:16 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
A great prophet has appeared among us;
God has visited his people.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 4:31-37 |
'I know who you are: the Holy One of God'
Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath. And his teaching made a deep impression on them because he spoke with authority.
In the synagogue there was a man who was possessed by the spirit of an unclean devil, and it shouted at the top of its voice, ‘Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: the Holy One of God.’ But Jesus said sharply, ‘Be quiet! Come out of him!’ And the devil, throwing the man down in front of everyone, went out of him without hurting him at all. Astonishment seized them and they were all saying to one another, ‘What teaching! He gives orders to unclean spirits with authority and power and they come out.’ And reports of him went all through the surrounding countryside.
PREPARING FOR THE DAY OF THE LORD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 Th 5:1-6,9-11; Ps 27:1,4,13-14; Lk 4:31-37]
St Paul reminded his people to be prepared for the Day of the Lord. This is something often neglected in the Church’s teaching and in the minds of many of our faithful. Perhaps sixty years ago, people were more conscious of the need to prepare for the day of judgment. In those days, when many lived in poverty, suffered poor health, and had shorter life spans, there was a keen awareness that life on earth is fleeting. People placed their hope in a better life after death and in the happiness of heaven.
Today, however, we have become more prosperous. Standards of living have improved tremendously, we enjoy greater luxuries, and advances in health care have extended our life spans. Because of this, many are preoccupied with working, earning money, or simply enjoying life. Thoughts of death and the Day of the Lord are often the last things on their minds. We live as though we will remain here forever, with little fear of death, trusting that we will be cared for and able to die gracefully and with dignity even in old age. This is why there seems to be little urgency to remind people of the Day of the Lord. For many, it feels too unreal when life is comfortable and going well.
St Paul warns his people that the Day of the Lord will come “like a thief in the night”, meaning when we least expect it. At night, we are tired and asleep; it is dark, and we cannot see clearly. That is why a thief strikes at night, when we are unaware of what is happening. So too in our spiritual life–when we live in darkness, leading irresponsible lives, indulging in harmful activities and illegitimate pleasures, we harm ourselves, our health, our work, and our relationships without even realizing it.
Secondly, St Paul says, it will come “as suddenly as labour pains come on a pregnant woman; and there will be no way for anybody to evade it.” Indeed, although an expectant mother knows the day of delivery will come, she also knows that when it happens, it will be sudden and unstoppable. Likewise, there is always the temptation to postpone conversion, thinking we still have plenty of time. This is the Evil One’s greatest weapon: to lull us into the illusion that repentance can wait. We keep delaying until it is too late. If we ignore the signs of the times and neglect the opportunities God gives us to live in the light, the day will come when we can no longer turn back, and regret will be all that remains. We can meet with a fatal accident, even though most of us think it is very unlikely because we are not so unlucky. Perhaps not, but our health and families may be destroyed. As Scripture warns, “It is when people are saying, ‘How quiet and peaceful it is’ that the worst suddenly happens.”
Yet the good news for us Christians is that, firstly, we have been enlightened in the truth. St. Paul says, “It is not as if you live in the dark, my brothers, for that Day to overtake you like a thief. No, you are all sons of light and sons of the day: we do not belong to the night or to darkness, so we should not go on sleeping, as everyone else does, but stay wide awake and sober.” Unlike people in the world, we have no excuse. By our baptism, we have been inserted into Christ, and died to sin and risen to new life in Christ. We are children of God, adopted sons and daughters in Christ. As the psalmist declares: “The Lord is my light and my help; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; before whom shall I shrink?” Having been enlightened by the Lord, we are accountable for the gifts we have received. As Jesus taught: “That slave who knew what his master wanted, but did not prepare himself or do what was wanted, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know and did what deserved a beating will receive a light beating. From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded” (Lk 12:47-48).
Secondly, we have been saved by Christ through His death and resurrection.
In union with Him, we are able to overcome trials and temptations because we do not walk alone on this journey of faith, hope, and charity. We have the Word of God. We have Christ in our life, and the Christian community to support us in our journey. His death has revealed to us the destruction of sin and the depth of God’s love and mercy. His resurrection assures us that the final word is not hatred and death but love and life. Indeed, His desire is that we live. “God never meant us to experience the Retribution, but to win salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that, alive or dead, we should still live united to Him.”
Consequently, today, we are called to reaffirm our faith in Jesus as the Holy One of God. In the Gospel, even the demons recognized Him as the Holy One of God. In the face of the holiness of God, they cried out in fear. Before Him, they were powerless. Jesus rebuked them: “‘Be quiet! Come out of him!’ And the devil throwing the man down in front of everyone, went out of him without hurting him at all.” Yet, although the devil knew Jesus was Lord, he did not submit to Him. Knowledge about Jesus is one thing, knowing Him is another thing all together, as St. James writes: “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe–and shudder” (Jas 2:19). Faith in Jesus requires personal commitment and surrender to His lordship.
Confessing to the Lordship and divinity of Jesus requires us to recognize the power of His Word. We must take the teaching of Christ seriously because Jesus is the Word of God in person. When Jesus “taught them on the sabbath. And his teaching made a deep impression on them because he spoke with authority.” We cannot compromise the Gospel and the Word of God by distorting it, reducing it, or diluting the truth of the Bible to suit secularism, individualism or materialism. Jesus not only taught with authority, but He demonstrated His words by His life and actions. After He delivered the man from the unclean spirit, “Astonishment seized them and they were all saying to one another, ‘What teaching! He gives orders to unclean spirits with authority and power and they come out.’ And reports of him went all through the surrounding countryside.” As Christians, we too must be faithful to the Word of God that is entrusted to us, living it out consistently in our daily lives.
To assist us in our faith, St Paul urges us to be united not just with Christ but with the Christian community as well. He wrote, “So give encouragement to each other, and keep strengthening one another, as you do already.” We need the support of the Christian community, which is why it is important that we gather together as Christians at least once a week, if not more often, to share with each other the Word of God, to gather together in worship, especially in the celebration of the Eucharist, so that we can continue to be encouraged in our faith. Unless we encourage each other in this journey of faith, the temptation to stray because of loneliness and discouragement – especially in times of trial – is very high. With our brothers and sisters always reminding us of Christ’s love for us, we will remain firm in our faith.
In this way, we can be confident of victory in Christ whenever and however the Day of the Lord comes. We are prepared because we walk in faith, hope, and charity. Indeed, there is no greater hope we can have than eternal happiness with the Lord. With the psalmist, we pray, “There is one thing I ask of the Lord, for this I long, to live in the house of the Lord, all the days of my life, to savour the sweetness of the Lord, to behold his temple. I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living. Hope in him, hold firm and take heart. Hope in the Lord!” Hence, we approach the Day of the Lord not with fear and dread but with joy and the expectation of fulfilment in Him.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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