1 Thessalonians 3:7-13 / Matthew 24:42-51
There is this story about how three devils discussed about how to tempt people to sin.
The first said: I will tell them that there is no God, so sin all you want and have all the pleasures of life.
The second said : I will tell them that there is no hell, so sin all you want and enjoy all the pleasures of life.
The third said: I will tell them not to be in a hurry, that they still have lots of time left on earth, so they can still sin and have what they want, and they will fall for it.
So will we fall for the third temptation? Will we think that we still have lots of time ahead and there is no urgency to repentance?
We will know we are falling for it by our attitudes, e.g. complacency, procrastination, laziness.
We will know we are falling for it by our lukewarmness towards prayer and going for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
We will know we are falling for it when we keep saying "Later on when I am free ..." when it comes to spiritual nourishment and formation.
Sin, like weeds, don't grow overnight. They creep in slowly.
In the 1st reading, St. Paul affirmed the Thessalonians for keeping their new found faith and he was relieved that they were still holding firm in the Lord, even though there was no urgency or crisis.
In the gospel, Jesus warned His disciples to stay awake, to be alert, to be aware of any slacking or back-sliding.
Because if in our faith and in our relationship with God, we do not feel the sense of urgency, that need for be alert and stand ready and be on the watch, then it may mean that we are falling into the devil's tactics.
As it is said, the man who thinks that he is safe must be careful not to fall (1 Cor 10:12).