Dear Parishioners, friends & visitors,
When the late British Lieutenant-General Robert Baden-Powell,
together with his sister Agnes, founded the world-wide Girl
Guide and Boy Scout Movements, they chose a common Motto:
“Be Prepared.” The choice of the Motto ‘be prepared’ means that
members of these movements must ensure that they know how
to act promptly or what to do in case of an accident or
emergency. They must never be taken by surprise. We don’t need to belong to the Girl
Guide or Boy Scout Movements before we adopt and live our daily life inspired by the
Motto: “be prepared.” If nothing else can convince us of the need to be ready and always
prepared, I think the fragility of human life can. We live in the space between one
breath and another. Although we sometimes claim an illusion of permanence on this
planet, the existential reality is that we are just visitors on earth. The fragility of
human life cannot guarantee us any form of permanence in this life.
In the gospel of this weekend, Jesus re-echoes the necessity of being prepared and ready
at all times, when He says: “be dressed ready for action and keep your lamps
burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so
that when he comes and knocks, they can immediately open the door for him. It will be
good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell
you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and
wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if
he comes in the middle of the night or towards daybreak. But understand this; if the
owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have
let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come
at an hour when you do not expect him,” (Luke 12: 35-40).
Death is an inevitable part of human life. As mortals, we shall all die or rather we shall
all underdo some form of change. No human will come before God with this frail and
perishable flesh we have today. Saint Paul says: “it will happen in a moment, in the
blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For, when the trumpet sounds, those
who have died will be raised to live forever. And we, who are living, will also be
changed,” (1 Corinthians 15:52). With so many distractions around, it’s easy for us to be
caught up in the illusions of this transient life. For many of us, life is filled with loose
ends. We can be good at leaving things either undone or half-done. Jesus never left
anything undone. Jesus forgave when He needed to forgive. Jesus fed the people when
He needed to feed the people. Jesus did what needed to be done without any delay or
procrastination. Delay in some circumstances can be regrettable and dangerous. The
Christian hope of a future with God belongs to those who prepare for it today and
everyday. The American pastor and speaker, John Maxwell once said: “we exaggerate
yesterday, overestimate tomorrow and ultimately, underestimate today.” The truth of
matter is that today matters, and to be always prepared and ready is to always realise
that ‘today matters.’ This is one of the favourites quotes: “Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why we call it ‘The Present’”.
While it’s important for us as humans to live and celebrate each present day as a
previous gift from our God and Father, however, it’s also important that we
contemplate tomorrow and the mystery of eternity. We don’t belong here. We are not
even made for this place. In his letter to the Colossians, Saint Paul says: “since, then,
you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is,
seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly
things.
For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is
your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory,” (Colossians 3:1-4). We
get life insurance, which is intended to minimize the expense and stress of any work our
loved ones will be required to do when we are gone from this life and we write a Will,
to make sure that our estate is handled properly and our assets are distributed as
directed. When we get life insurance or write a Will, we begin to prepare and get ready
for the great unknown. Death underpins our intention to write a Will. When death
knocks and we are gone from this mortal life, God wants us to be at peace with
ourselves, with God and with our fellow human beings. It would be a haunting
experience if anyone dies with bitterness and with unresolved matters with some fellow
human beings. “Do not let resentment lead you into sin, the sunset must not find you
still angry, do not give the devil an opportunity,’ (Ephesians 4:26). We adopt the motto
of the Girl Guide and Boy Scout Movements- ‘be prepared’ when we ensure that we do
not go about daily life with heavy hearts or go to bed with deep-seated hurts and
injuries. There are great books, which offer step-by-step guides on how to make a
‘Particular Examen’ during the day or ‘Examination of Conscience’ at night before
sleep. ‘Since we are all destined to die once and after that to face judgment,’ ( Hebrew
9:27), let’s ensure that we are always ready and prepared for the hour or day of our
death.
God bless you all.
Fr. John Ikechukwu Echewodo
Parish Priest
St Mary's Parish is committed to the introduction of the Alpha programme.
Christmas 2018 Mass Schedule 
