Will we be prepared when the Son of Man comes? We know from the accounts of the flooding the communities around Baton Rouge experienced this summer, as well as our own experience with the tornado here in Tupelo, disaster can strike so quickly, but it’s almost impossible to be prepared ahead of time. When the daily of the Son of Man's return is revealed to us, when he comes at the end times, it will be too late for us to take emergency measures if we have not prepared already. But, rather than being a message that fills us with fear and foreboding, our message from the Gospel today is to encouraged us to always be vigilant and prepared.
As we hear about the need to be prepared in our lives of faith, perhaps the example of the saints comes to our mind. The saints that we celebrate in the daily masses are not just an ancient part of Church history. The saints have a great deal to teach us and they are truly among us with their prayers & intercessions: they are a part of the same Body of Christ to which we belong. St. Martin of Tours lived in the fourth century, but he remains a very popular saint to this day. Martin was born of pagan parents and was forced to serve in the military at a very young age. He left the military service as an adult, hearing the call to serve Christ in a special way in service to the Church. A famous story about Martin recounts how as a soldier, he met a beggar on the road, how all he had on him was his weapon and his cloak. Martin cut his cloak in half, giving half to this poor man. Many who saw him laughed at this strange appearance of a man only wearing half a cloak, but Martin knew he did the right thing. Martin later became the Bishop of Tours where he not only fought the heresies of the Church, but also tried to bring the heretics back into the flock.
It is certainly appropriate that we hear the story of Martin of Tours on Veterans Day. We give thanks for all of our Veterans, for their service to our country. This day was chosen for Veterans Day because it marked the end of WWI, with the Armistice signed with Germany and its allies that went into affect at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. At a time where there is a lot of tension and frustration and uncertainty in our country and in our world, we pray for peace and reconciliation today as we remember those who served in our country, both the living and the dead, and as we honor their service.
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