Jesus tells us that we should be prepared for an hour we do not expect when the Son of Man will come like one who expects a thief to come at night.
As Jesus tells the disciples, Peter chimes in. Peter's comment is very interesting. Peter asks the question, "Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?"
Peter is presuming that the message is a parable, a story with a lesson. But no where does Jesus say it was a parable nor does he say it is a story.
Perhaps this message is to be taken literally. Peter does not get off the hook and neither are we.
Peter is allowing familiarity with Jesus to cloud his judgement and lead to presumption. This is a dangerous place to be. All of us can run the risk of allowing our familiarity with God to cloud our judgment or lead to presumption that gets us off the hook.
The servant in the story is one who allows his familiarity with the master to cloud his judgment and cause him to lose sight of his duty; his presumption leads to his demise.
We should hold on to this message with all our might. We should be weary of letting our familiarity with Jesus lead to presumption of false security.
We must be diligent daily and never presume on God's mercy with out first being attentive to our duty.
"Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more."
There is no room for presumption; our familiarity with Jesus should deepen our desire to serve him faithfully, fully, without negligence to others or ourselves.
According to Pope Benedict the best way to be prepared is to work for the common good. We must "desire the common good and strive toward it as a requirement of justice and charity." To continually stand for the common good is to give structure to the life of society thus truly making it a "city of God" which is "the goal of the history of the human family." In service and charity in accord with truth do "we pave the way for eternity through temporal action."
This life is perfectly realized in a life in Christ; it is "Christ who shows us what it means to be human, thus what it means to make progress as a people", as a developing society and a true civilization. Thus fidelity to man requires fidelity to truth only then are we truly prepared for the unexpected day and the unknown hour.
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