Jesus said to his disciples: “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks” (Lk 12: 35-36).

Jesus is emphasizing that as disciples we need to be ready for his coming, yes for when he comes again, but more importantly to be prepared for his coming each day in the midst of our lives. If we do not prepare to encounter him daily, the likelihood of us being  prepared for his coming again, and only the Father knows the time or the hour, will be slim. One of the most important lessons that I learned from my one and a half years with the Franciscans of Holy Name Province was the distinction between planning and preparing.

To plan means we outline all that needs to be done down to the last detail. This can be an advantage especially when we are dealing with blueprints for a home or building. By having detailed plans we can be sure we have the proper materials and tools, an estimated budget, hire the help needed to accomplish the goal. There are many areas in our life where planning is an advantage. Planning our spiritual life is important, deciding when and how we are to pray, meditate, study, engage in Bible and spiritual reading and/or watching, scheduling which service we are going to attend, establishing a routine of spiritual direction, time for fellowship or small groups. These are all plusses to planning.

The challenge with planning is when we become too radically attached to the plan and we leave no room for the Holy Spirit, no awareness for the knock at the door because we are so focused on finishing the plan. Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners are on the horizon. How many times have we experienced planning a dinner and guests, and spent more time adhering to the plan and its execution such that we miss engaging with those we are working so hard to provide hospitality for?

Preparation is pretty much all of the steps of planning I discussed above. The only difference is that we are more open and flexible with the execution. Life is not perfect, no matter how well we plan, unforeseen circumstances arise. Not holding so tightly to the plan, we can be in a better posture to adjust and see new possibilities that we had not planned for and more easily make adjustments in the moment. Also, in the midst of accomplishing the goal we may be more open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit instead of completing the plan come hell or high water. The upcoming familial meals can be much more enjoyable, even if a little messier, if we place a priority on spending time with those gathered instead of making sure each detail of the list is checked off at the proper time.

Jesus calls us to be ready, to be prepared to receive him. He thirsts and yearns for us to answer him when he knocks: in the classmate, colleague, family member, or neighbor who asks for help at what we feel is an inopportune time, the homeless person who is asking for some aid, the undocumented immigrant, or refugee looking for safety and security, the unborn striving to actualize her potential, the coworker that has not been pleasant to us in the past five years, the person that we perceive to be different from us – whether it be by gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, political party, religious or non religious affiliation – who we keep at arm’s length.

May we take some quiet time this day to reflect on those recent invitations we received to spend some time with Jesus through those he brought into our life and we refused. After some time of reflection can we be better prepared to be more open to encountering those we meet today as human beings, as brothers and sisters, created in the image and likeness of God? Are we willing to see and serve Jesus, who is present in them, for: “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers [or sisters] of mine, you did for me” (Mt 25:40).

Link for today’s Mass readings:

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/102417.cfm

Photo: Tabernacle and Sanctuary Lamp in the small chapel at Our Lady of Florida Spiritual Center.