STAY AWAKE!
1 THESSALONIANS 3:7-13; PSALM 90; MATTHEW 24:42-51
“Stay awake!” is not a cliché, it is a divine alarm bell! But many Christians have hit the snooze button of sin, spiritual laziness, and worldly distraction. Jesus warns us: “Stay awake, because you do not know the day when your master is coming” (Matt. 24:42). The uncertainty of Christ’s return is not meant to terrify us but to keep us vigilant. If the date were fixed, we would all “prepare” last minute. But God calls for constant readiness—holy living as a lifestyle, not an emergency reaction.
St. Augustine once said: “The Lord has not told us when He will come so that we may be always prepared.” To stay awake is to love more, forgive more, and walk daily in holiness. The Thessalonians were encouraged to “increase and abound in love” (1 Thess. 3:12)—that is how we keep our lamps burning! End-time truth is not about fear but about joyful anticipation. Christ’s return is not a catastrophe for the faithful but a crown of glory.
PRAYER
Almighty, ever-living God, awaken our spirits from slumber, fill us with burning love, and keep us vigilant until the glorious return of Christ our Lord. Amen.
Fr. Daniel Evbotokhai
