Lent Day 18: Being Christ ready

One can never be fully ready. Whenever we plan a trip or a vacation, something or the other will always come in between. But if we go without much planning and thought, we will usually be able to pull it off. Making time for friends and family is also better done when unplanned. We are all so busy that plans are difficult to make. Unplanned meetings, travel and conversations are also exciting and make us very happy. We can also try to link the words ‘unplanned’ and ‘ready’.

St. Luke 12: 37 says, “Blessed are the servants whom the master finds awake when he comes; truly, I say to you, he will gird himself and have them sit at table, and he will come and serve them.” Jesus asks us to be ready at all times. If we plan it, we can obviously be well prepared. We will be at our best behaviour and will even put on an act. So, the real us will only be visible when the master comes unprepared.

It is like having guests at home. When we know someone is coming, we will have everything ready. But when guests come unaware, we will be in complete disarray. This can be handled in two ways. One, when we know and are prepared, the visit will be okay for us. But what if we do not know? Can we think of another level of preparation and readiness? That is the one mentioned at the beginning. When we are prepared to do things at short notice with people we love and respect.

This lent can be one such journey. It should not matter to us, when our Lord will come, because we are prepared every minute to receive him. It is not the condition and neatness of our house but the condition of our life, heart and soul which should matter. Everything and anything we do should be something we can also do in the presence of the Lord. That way we have nothing to hide and nothing to be scared of.

People have become so busy that they don’t get time to visit each other anymore. We also don’t feel the need of hosting anyone. The feeling of community and the culture of welcoming has been lost upon us. There are times when we get into the hospitality mood but that is only when we are forced to host someone.

A life in Christ should make us ready for anything at any time. Ready to travel, ready to host, ready to laugh, ready to cry, ready to give, ready to receive, ready to leave and ready to take. Lent should make us that much more ready. Our master will come soon. Let us be Christ ready. Amen.

 

Prayer during a holiday

God of rest and peace, we seek your guidance during this weekend. May those who have a day off from work be able to spend time with family and friends. Even as we rest may we be reminded by your presence in us that we have to dream, think and prepare for doing good and being effective for you Christ Jesus in our own different ways. You are ever present in us Jesus and you never take rest and that is evident by the fact that we are safeguarded and guided every single second of our lives.

May those of us who are travelling be cheerful and show acts of help, dignity and mercy to those next to us. May others experience Jesus through our acts of love. May those who go to supermarkets, parks, shopping malls and public spaces act with the prudence of Christ to diffuse difficult situations, help others, respect others and be Christ to others. We may be on vacation from work but Lord Jesus we are never on vacation from experiencing and acting on your behalf. May those who celebrate festivals and holidays be happy with our presence next to them in different public spaces so that Christ lives in the hearts of people.

Today help us be a daughter/son to our parents, a mother/father to our daughter/son/children, a sister/brother to our sibling, a friend to our friend and a blessing to a stranger. May the elderly be considered as our own parents and helped and loved. May we visit those who are sick and share their concerns and anxiety. Bless us O lord to be you during this weekend. Amen.

A prayer for the vacation

Help us to rest and rejuvenate well dear Lord. You have created us just perfect and intended to use us for your plan and kingdom. May we and our children use this vacation to unwind, spend time together and re-energize our body and soul. We pray that you in your infinite wisdom, loving God, will help us take time off from office work, studies, tensions and deadlines, and will help us come closer to you, our family and friends.

May this rest lead to a better us and to qualitative improvement in our work and life. May this vacation be seen as an opportunity to reach out to everyone we have left out in our march to excellence. Nudge us to feel you God in togetherness and be assured of your ceaseless presence in our lives. In the name of the risen Christ we pray. Amen.