Homily: June 3, 2025, Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Easter (The Hour)

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“Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said, 'Father, the hour has come.'"

Fourteen years ago, before I was ordained a priest, my mommy was in the hospital for some time, and I stayed by her side every day. She was undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment for final-stage metastatic cancer. Suddenly one day, she asked me to get her a priest so she could do her confession and receive the anointing of the sick.

I was a little shaken by her request. Was she going to die?

Secretly, I called my siblings and informed them about her request for the sacraments, and they too wondered if she was getting ready to die.

That night, again I sat by her bedside, with a big worry on my face. My mommy noticed it and just before going to sleep, she gently but calmly assured me, “I’m not going to die tonight. You sleep well, and tell your siblings too.”

I never knew my facial expression could betray all my thoughts, worries, and what I did!

Mommy was right, she didn’t die that night. But a few months later, her time came, her final hour arrived, and she went home to the Lord peacefully.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus knows that His hour has come. As the Lord of life, He knows everything: His own death, His resurrection and every hour of His every life event.

But we do not know the hour of our life and death, not in advance. And thus, Jesus reminds us to always be ready, “Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” (Mt 25:13)

Jesus was ready when His hour came, He had accomplished the mission His Father gave Him. He declared to His Father, “I glorified you on earth by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do.”

Our life is short, very short in comparison to the length of human history, and even shorter in the light of eternity. But short as it may be, each of us has a purpose and mission in life. A purpose significant enough for God to have planned it and given it value in the building of His Kingdom.

The crucial question for us is: If we were to die today, would we be able to say to God with confidence, “I glorified you on earth by accomplishing the work you gave me to do”?

If yes, I am sure we would have peace. If no, would we then be ready to meet God face to face?

Therefore, stay awake, be ready, accomplish your mission, glorify God with your life, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” Amen.


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