Saturday 28th November 2020.

Good morning my dear brothers and sisters. Here are the readings and reflection for Saturday 28th November 2020. READINGS Revelation 22:1-7 Psalm, Ps. 95 Gospel, Luke: 21:34-36 THE SECOND COMING SHALL BE YOUR REWARD: ‘Watch yourselves, or your hearts will be coarsened with debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life, and that day will be sprung on you suddenly, like a trap’ Lk. 21:34. Our heavenly home: Still on the Second Coming of our Lord, John, in the first reading of today, tantalizes us with a vision of some aspects of the New Jerusalem, our heavenly home, he says, ‘There shall be the river of life from the throne of God which shall flow crystal-clear down the middle of the city and on either side of the river shall be the trees of life which bears fruits throughout the year. The servants of the Lord shall worship the Lamb on the throne of God in the city; they will see him face to face, and his name will be written on their foreheads’ (c.f. Rev. 22:4). At present we do not see our God but only by faith; in our heavenly home, however, the promise shall come true, that we shall see him face to face as he really is. Philip had requested from our Lord, ‘show us the Father and we shall be satisfied’ Jn. 14:8. Heaven is indeed the true home of satisfaction; there all our longings, yearnings and thirsts shall be satisfied. Characteristics of the heavenly home: ‘It will never be night again and the chosen will not need lamplight or sunlight, because the Lord God will be shining on us and we all shall reign with him for ever’ (c.f. Rev. 22:5). Heaven is a home of perfection, which indeed is a total contrast from our experiences in the present finite imperfect world. All the imperfections we may have suffered in the world, spiritual tepidity, moral evil, natural disasters, sicknesses etc., all these would be a thing of the finite world and of course they shall be a thing of the past. In the new heaven, there shall be no more, sickness, no more crying, no more sorrow, no more yearnings or longings, everything shall be perfect and made complete in the presence of the Eternal King. Watch yourselves now: In the gospel of today, our Lord says, ‘watch yourselves or your hearts will be coarsened with debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life’ Lk. 21:34. It is very right and true that our Lord came to save sinners; nevertheless, he will not tolerate we who continue to live in sin, who fail to repent of our sins but carried away in sinful corrupt practices. It will come down on every living man on the face of the earth: is there anyone that would be spared at his Second Coming? Of course, no one, everyone shall face the judgment seat of God; the good the bad, the young the old, the blacks the white, the religious the lay persons, all that exists. Pray for the strength to survive: St. Paul had counseled the Philippians and indeed all Christians, ‘work out your salvation with fear and trembling’ Phil. 2:12. Be vigilant in every way; vigilant in virtue, moral life, Christian living and indeed a life of the Spirit. Be confident: It is only when you have played your role, when you have carried out the assignments given you by the Master, our Lord Jesus that you can be confident waiting for his Coming. You who have done what was required of you, who have lived in love, you who have suffered patiently, who have persevered in virtue and waited expectantly will be joyful at the news of his arrival. Let us pray: give us the grace Lord to watch, pray and persevere till the end. May we not toil in vain but enable us to strive to the end where we shall achieve the eternal reward you have for us. We make our prayer through Jesus Christ our Lord and God. Amen.