Admittance to the banquet of eternal life cannot simply be taken for granted. Christ teaches this parable as a warning because the day of the Lord will come with surprising suddenness like a thief in the night. The gospel brings home the importance of being ready and prepared while we wait, by loving God and our neighbour. When the call comes, what will count are the qualities of character we have developed, not the riches we possess or the fortune we have gathered. Staying awake must be the centre around which our whole being and life rotate.

Fr. Arsenio