A Homily on Matthew 24:42-51 : Stay Awake ( 28-8-25)

The Gospel of Matthew 19:3–12 warns us to stay awake, for neglecting Jesus’ word leaves us unprepared for danger. (28-8-25)

Praise be to Jesus Christ 

There was once a family of fish that lived in a quiet river. The father fish was old and wise. Every day he told the younger ones, “Never go too close to the surface of the water. Up there lies danger. A kingfisher may strike, or a human hand may throw a net. Stay deep, my children. You may not see the sun dancing on the water, but you will be safe.” At first all the young ones listened carefully. But one little fish slowly began to grow restless. He wanted to see more. He wanted to enjoy the warmth of the sun at the surface. In the beginning, he remembered his father’s words and swam back to safety. But little by little, he stopped listening. He thought, “Nothing has happened so far. Why should I be afraid?” One night, while the others were deep below, this little fish swam up to the surface. The water was calm, the moon was bright, and it felt free. Suddenly, in one unexpected hour, a heavy net fell into the water. The little fish struggled, it cried, it tried to escape, but it was too late. The warning of the father had been forgotten, and the hour of danger had come.

This is what Jesus reminds us in today’s Gospel: “Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. If the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake” (Matthew 24:42-43). The important word here is hour. Not a day, not a season, but an hour. The little fish did not expect that the net would come at that very hour. And many times in our life too, the hour of the Lord comes when we do not expect it. Therefore we have to be prepared all the time. Epicurian principle proclaims to the world:  “Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die.” But as a child of God and a Christian beware of the judgement of God and the hour that I and you surely have to face one day. And it can be an hour of transformation too. It is one’s personal responsibility to respond to the invitation of God to accept and utilize the hour which God offers through different persons.

As referred in the Old Testament, the people during days of Noah lived without care. As Jesus Himself says, “In those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not know until the flood came and swept them all away” (Matthew 24:37-39; cf. Genesis 6–7). Only Noah stayed awakened to God’s warning, and so he and his family were saved.

Another example comes from the story of Susanna. When she was falsely accused and condemned, “she cried out with a loud voice: O eternal God, you know what is hidden” (Daniel 13:42). And the Scripture says, “The Lord heard her prayer. As she was being led away to death, God stirred up the holy spirit of a young lad named Daniel” (Daniel 13:44-45). Daniel was awake and faithful, God used him at that very hour to save Susanna. He was able to listen and respond to the call that hour immediately. If we are not prepared on the hour God approach us, He will entrust the mission to somebody else. 

Today we celebrate St. Augustine. For many years he lived like the careless fish, ignoring the advice of his mother and chasing shallow pleasures. He thought he could delay his conversion. He kept saying, “Not now, but later.” But the net of sin was already on him. Then came the hour of grace. He heard the words of Scripture: “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh” (Romans 13:14). In that single hour, he awoke. He dived deep into the mercy of God and never returned to the surface of emptiness again. This saved him from being caught by eternal fire of world and hell.

What about us? In our families and religious life, the danger of carelessness is very evident. We may say, “I will pray later, I will forgive tomorrow, I will change one day.” But the Lord comes at an hour we do not know. To stay awake is to live each hour faithfully. A prayer whispered before sleep, a kind word in the home, a faithful duty done with love — these are the ways we swim deep in God’s grace, safe from the net of hell and Satan. The time on earth is the only time that is provided to work. Missing those fruitful hours will leave us in guilt of wasting the hours, opportunities and blessings that was given at the good time. And once the opportunities are lost, it cannot be regained.

The story of the fish warns us: the careless hours will trap us, but the watchful hours will save us. Augustine shows us that even if we have wasted many hours, one true hour of grace can transform everything.

 Lord, keep me deep in your love, awake and ready for the hour you come. Amen

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