Parables

The slaves waiting

From the Gospel of Mark Chapter 13, Verses 34.37

Pay attention, stay awake, because you don't know when the decisive moment will be! And like a man who left on a long journey, he left and gave his servants the house. He gave each one an assignment and recommended that he remain awake at the door. Well, stay awake, because you do not know when the landlord will come back: perhaps in the evening, perhaps at midnight, perhaps at the cockcrow or perhaps in the morning. If it comes suddenly, make sure that you don't find yourself asleep. What I say to you I tell everyone: stay awake!.

Parable Mark exegesis

The pressing invitation addressed to us in this text is to watch over and over again, at any time of day or night: be careful! Watch and pray, because you do not know when the return of the "master" will take place: no one knows anything about that day or hour, nor the prophets, nor the angels who are in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Even the apostles do not need to know that, being in uncertainty, they remain vigilant and active in patient waiting for that day of which they ignore the exact moment. Moreover, Jesus does not say "because we do not know when the landlord will return", but "because [you] do not know" if it will be at night, at midnight, at the cock crow, in the morning ..., and he must not find you to sleep.

There is no doubt that the man, who left on a journey entrusting precise duties to his servants, may Christ who, ascending to the Father after the resurrection, abandoned the Church with His body, which nevertheless was not denied His divine presence, since He remains in her every day until the end of the centuries: it is guided by our Redeemer towards the conquest of Heaven, "I am with you every day, until this time is fulfilled".
(Mt 28.20)

He gave his servants the authority over every task entrusted before his ascent to Heaven, because he gave his faithful, with the concession of the grace of the Holy Spirit, the faculty to perform good works. He then ordered the "guardian" to watch, as he established that it is the duty of pastors and spiritual guides to take care of the Church entrusted to them with untiring commitment.

"What I say to you, I say to everyone: Watch!". Not only therefore to the apostles and their immediate successors, but also to all of us, who are living our time now, Jesus ordered us to watch over and guard the doors of our hearts, to prevent the ancient enemy from breaking into them with his evil suggestions. And so that the Lord, when we come, do not find us asleep, we must all be on our guard constantly. Each will give God reason for himself.

Watch whoever keeps the eyes of the spirit open to look at the true light; watch over whoever works in the true good in which he believes; watch over whoever rejects the darkness of torpor and neglect. This is why Paul spurs us by saying: "return to yourselves, as is right, and do not sin! Some, in fact, show that they do not know God; I tell you your shame". (1 Cor 15,34); and elsewhere he adds, "it is time to wake up from sleep, because now our salvation is closer than when we became believers. The night has advanced, the day is near. Therefore we throw away the works of darkness and wear the weapons of light".
(Rom 13: 11-12)

Vigilance must be put in place by everyone, because the date of our death remains uncertainty and can surprise us when we least expect it: we are on guard, we are wise as of now and let us be prepared, in order not to risk nullifying our life on earth waiting to be reunited with the Father.

The slaves waiting - Luke

From the Gospel of Luke Chapter 12, Verses 34.38

Be ready, with the belt at your sides and the lamps lit; be like those who wait for the master when he returns from the wedding, to open immediately, as soon as he arrives and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he returns; I tell you the truth, he will put on his clothes, put them on the table and serve them