Afraid of the Unexpected

By Alvesgaspar - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43522641

Over the the last two days the Gospel passages deal with the theme of the unexpected. Little did Peter, James and John know that their journey to the top of the mountain with Jesus would expose them to Moses and Elijah as well as being overcome with the voice talking to them in the clouds. Caught in the unexpected they quite know what to do. Likewise we are warned of the impending coming of the master in today's Gospel, and the consequences of not being prepared.

So what should we make of this?  Perhaps understanding that traveling with Jesus requires a unwavering faith.  The master can arrive at any time therefore we should be ready.  For me this readiness means having an active prayer life which begins as soon as I awake and continues throughout the day with recognition that I am not in control of situations at work, home and other daily encounters, and surrendering the moments of difficulty and culminating with a nightly examen of my activities.  My hope is that I  will be ready, but not at a loss of words such as Peter, James and John.

This journey to preparedness has not been easy. There are moments which life seems to throw a curveball; family illnesses, deaths and conflict, financial challenges, work conflicts, the trials of parenthood, personal issues, all of which bring fear and uncertainty. None of these occasions was expected.  For myself each time I venture into the prediction game or draw a scenario out of how I would like a particular challenge to play out, I either make a mess of it, or after some reflection and prayer I allow the infinite graces of my Master into the situation. I guess this is type of preparedness even though I don't know the outcome.

Of course there are those unexpected moments that we don't have time to reflect, they just happen. It is in the time after that I must allow God into the situation as bad or good as it may seem.  For myself the current events in the world and in our nation bring out much trepidation and anxiety.  Where are we headed as a nation? Will I be financially secure to retire when I want to? What world will my adult children inherit? As a Boy Scout I remember the Scouts motto "Be prepared."  Faithfully I must also adhere to the Gospel message as well to face the daily challenges of this life as well as the afterlife. Be prepared.