1 Cor 1:17-25 / Matthew 25:1-13
In these uncertain and fast-changing times, we may wish that we know what the future is like.
But even as we wish for that, we already know what the near future is like.
We are in the crisis of our generation, and we are into the deepest recession that our country, as well as the world, has ever faced.
So the future seems bleak, to say the least, and even depressing and maybe even frightening.
But we have to prepare for the future. But what do we have to do to prepare for the future?
When we say that we have to prepare for the future, it may imply that the future is a mysterious unknown, with twists and turns.
If we are going to prepare for that kind of future, then we may not know where or how to start or what to do.
But what does our faith tell us about the future?
When we look at the future with faith, then we will come to see that the future is in the hands of God.
So the future, and even the now, are in the hands of God. God is in full control of the now and the future.
So we may have to change the way we say it. It is not so much as "prepare for the future", but rather to "prepare the future". We just have to take out the "for". That is what Pope Francis said.
And how are we to "prepare the future"?
Today the Church honours the great saint, Saint Augustine, and one of his profound sayings is this:
"Pray as if everything depends on God. Work as if everything depends on you".
So it is prayer and work. One complements and completes the other.
Then we will look at the future with hope, because God is in the future.
And because God is in the future, let us not give in to gloom, but let us bloom and be like brightly lit lamps that will scatter the darkness of fear.
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Join us for an online Devotion to the Sacred Heart with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Every Friday, 8.30pm (Singapore time, GMT +8), the Youtube link for the Devotion on 28 Aug is
https://youtu.be/fBQ9fr96kvk
Youtube Channel: www.youtube.com/c/churchofthesacredheartsingapore