The Gospel is full of images to symbolize a Christian’s attitude of conversion and active waiting: the prudent and foolish young women waiting for the return of the bride and groom, the sudden appearance of the kingdom, the separation of the sheep and goats, and Simeon and Ana waiting in the temple of the savior’s arrival.
Today Jesus talks about good servants who are always prepared to open the door for their master who has gone off to a wedding feast. At that time there was no electricity, no loud doorbells, no heating systems, no lights, no TV, no internet. Most servants would be in bed, wrapped up in their blankets in their room – probably away from the main door. Anyone rapping at the door would have to make a lot of noise to wake up the sleeping servant.
The nighttime is for sleeping. Sleeping is a basic attitude towards life for most people, even when we are awake: taking care of ourselves, sleeping, doing what we like, forgetting others, forgetting God, and overall postponing our conversion. Most people understand the concept of waiting to be just sitting half asleep and half awake – like waiting in a doctor’s office. We don’t do anything. We just sit there – half asleep or playing games on our cell phones.
On the other hand, Jesus calls us to be in a state of permanent readiness: always awake in active waiting. This is a new state of life brought about by abandoning our addiction to centering our lives on ourselves, our pleasures, and our whims. Sin is anesthesia. It puts us to sleep. It makes us unable to see our own true needs and the needs of others. We become lazy and put off our relationships with God and other until another time. It separates us from God and others. Jesus calls us to a life of conversion each day of our lives. Conversion, active waiting, is a daily process of renouncing ourselves. It is not just waking up and getting up to serve others grudgingly with complaints, but rather already being awake and working on our conversion.
Be ready to open immediately
when he comes and knocks.
Image: https://mjdasma.blogspot.com/2021/10/reflection-for-october-19-tuesday-of.html