Holy Apostles Stachys, Amplias and others with them. Holy Martyr Epimachus (250).
1 Thessalonians 5:1-8. Luke 11:47-12:1.
Read 1 Thessalonians 5:1-8
Today’s reading from St. Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians should remind us of the troparion that is often sung at the Midnight Office as well as at Bridegroom Matins: “Behold the Bridegroom cometh in the middle of the night;* and blessed is the servant whom He shall find watching,* but unworthy is he whom He shall find in slothfulness.* Beware, then, O my soul, and be not overcome by sleep,* lest you be given over to death and shut out from the Kingdom.* But rise up and cry aloud: Holy, holy, holy are You, O God:* through the Theotokos have mercy upon us.”
Paul exhorts the Thessalonians to watchfulness for we “know well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” (1 Thess. 5:2). We should conduct our lives with sobriety so as not to be caught off-guard, and we must be prepared for spiritual battle, armored with “the breastplate of faith and love” and “the hope of salvation” as a helmet (1 Thess. 5:8).
What does “being watchful” mean for us? How ought we to conduct ourselves? We need to be mindful that we never know the season or the hour in which the Son of Man will return. Jesus provides us with the parable of the wise and foolish virgins to teach us to “watch, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour” (Mt. 25:13). Since we do not know when we will meet Jesus face-to-face and be at “the awesome tribunal of Christ” (as we remember when we pray at every Divine Liturgy), we always need to spiritually reflect so we can repent of our sinful ways of thinking and acting in the world. Throughout our lives, we always need to examine ourselves and re-orient ourselves to Christ. Participating in the sacramental life of the Church, taking advantage of frequent Confession and Communion are gifts given to us to help us live a life in God’s grace. In terms of our relationship with God, do not put off for tomorrow what we can do right now.