Jesus is encouraging His followers to be ready to move on at a moment’s notice: “See that you are dressed for action and have your lamps lit.†Jesus is saying that they cannot put their trust in the power of their possessions, for they are ultimately meaningless.
The kingdom of God is to be experienced fully at some future time. Just when is not known – and that is why we are called to be ready for it at every moment. The image that Jesus uses here of God is of master who, instead of demanding service, Himself puts on an apron and gets down to serving us, just as Jesus was to do at the Last Supper. Today’s Gospel begins with Jesus telling us that we need not to be afraid, for God’s kingdom is a gift to us.
How well Jesus knew our fearfulness of change, our aversion to risk – especially the older we get, or the more we feel we have to lose. We are faced with challenge all the time – in the world, in our families, in our health and even here in the Church. How do we react to these changes? Habit and routine are comfortable, and so is nostalgia. But they can also be deadening, preventing us from opening ourselves to the capacity to change. Or do we put our total trust in the one who has promised to lead us to a new land, a new relationship, a new set of circumstances?
Jesus calls us to rely on God, to trust in God, to look forward joyfully to what God gas in store. Why be fearful of such a future, or averse to the risks that may be required to get there?