Every Hour is His Hour

“Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” // Matthew 25:13 (from readings for Memorial of Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross)

I became aware of a low rumbling sound as I awoke from a midday nap. The bed in the dim hotel room was moving. 

I tried to open my eyes. On heavy painkillers for an infection, I was only vaguely aware that something was wrong. Must be an earthquake, I thought groggily.  

And I fell back asleep.

I don’t know how much time passed until I became fully conscious. Wondering if it had been a dream, I ventured to the nearby theme park to look for my family. It took just a minute for me to realize the rides had all been shut down. The park was closed. 

Because of the earthquake. 

The earthquake I had slept through.

The weight of what had happened—and what could have happened—hit me. I was stunned that even an earthquake hadn’t shaken me awake.

But the Gospel for today’s Optional Memorial of Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross reminds us that we are all capable of sleeping through even greater comings (see Matthew 25:1-13). 

Jesus tells in the Parable of the Ten Virgins that all of them—both wise and foolish—almost sleep through the coming of the bridegroom. A sharp cry pierces the night, announces His approach, and warns them to make ready. Only the five wise virgins can re-light their lamps in time and accompany Him to the feast. But I suspect that amid the joy and celebration, their hearts would have been beating rapidly at this terrifying thought: I almost missed Him.

How many times have we daydreamed or sleep-walked right through or past the coming of Jesus Christ into our lives? How many invitations has He extended to us that, drugged by distractions and our little mind-numbing addictions, we may have missed? How often have we been lulled into lethargy?

Every hour is His hour. Every present moment is a little paradise full of Him. As Pope Saint John Paul II wrote in his play The Jeweler’s Shop, “The Bridegroom is coming. This is His precise hour.” 

 Lord, make us attentive to Your approach in the people, circumstances, and prayer we experience today.