Be Ready for God to “Stop By”

In my experience, most people can be divided into two groups: those who are old enough to remember when you kept food on hand for company, and those who aren’t.

For those of you in the latter group, let me explain. Before text messaging and social media made us all unconditionally, mercilessly reachable, people would do this thing called “stopping by.” They would be passing by a friend’s house, maybe on the way home from work or shopping, and they would just … stop. With no warning. No notice whatsoever. “I was just in the neighborhood,” they would say. I remember my mother and I would do this on many a Saturday. It wasn’t an everyday occurrence, but it was common enough that you had to be ready.

“Crazy,” you might exclaim. “People just appeared on your doorstep? How did you cope with the uncertainty?” Well, most of us had moms who kept a little something on hand to eat or drink that was extra nice, just in case anyone stopped by. That way, we were always ready.

Today’s readings are about a lot of things: prayer, hope, redemptive suffering. They’re about what it means to be a Christian, and not just what it means to do Christian things.

Most of all, though, they’re about readiness. If God showed up at your door, would you be ready for Him? Would you be ready for what He gives you, or what He takes away? Would you be ready for Him to interrupt the plans you have for yourself? To disrupt the idea you carry in your mind of what a servant or a steward is supposed to be?

Read your Bible. Say your rosary. Go to Mass. Get to Confession. Talk to God — every day, not just when you think you need Him. That way, you are always ready.

— Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS