Matthew 24:42-51
Jesus uses the image of a thief in order to explain the manner of his coming to our lives. The thief would come at the most unexpected time and place. In the same way, the Lord would not let us know when and where exactly he is going to visit us. Perhaps, this is his way of knowing who among us are his faithful followers.
The true character of a person would come out as he lives his day-to-day life. For example, we can only say that a person is cleanly if he habitually cleans his house. The person who cleans his place only when he is expecting a visitor is not genuinely neat. We also can tell that a person is truly generous if he continues to share even outside the Christmas season. He who gives on special occasions only is not a true generous person.
The gospel challenges us to develop the virtue of fidelity in following Christ. Let us be consistent in serving God and one another for this is what it means to be a disciple of Christ.
