In a hurried society, the Gospel reminds us that time acquires meaning when it is lived in the key of active waiting. In this commentary, Friar Luciano Audisio Luciano Audisio invites us to gird our loins, light the lamp and open the door to the Lord so that he may transform our life into a banquet of love.
The Christian meaning of time
Today’s Gospel invites us to reflect on one of the most profound themes of our existence: the meaning of time. We live in a society marked by haste, by full agendas, by the permanent sensation of not getting to everything. How often do we say: “I don’t have time”? Our days seem to vanish between our hands. And yet, time – this precious and scarce resource – is the place where our life is at stake, where salvation becomes possible.
How, then, can we recover the true meaning of time? The Gospel gives us a clear answer: time acquires meaning when it is lived in the key of waiting, in relationship, with loving vigilance. And this waiting is not passive or resigned, but a waiting full of desire, of meaning, of faith.
Cinched waists: ready for everyday Easter
Jesus begins with a forceful exhortation: “Have your waist girded about your loins.”. This image takes us back to the Exodus, when the Hebrews, still slaves, had to be ready to leave for freedom. It was the beginning of the Passover. To gird one’s loins was to adjust one’s tunic in order to walk freely, without stumbling.
Today we are also invited to live ready to walk. The Gospel reminds us that our life is not made for settlement, but for the way of freedom. Jesus teaches us that we are on the threshold of a great liberation. And the key is to being prepared for the daily Passoverfor that continuous passage from fear to trust, from enclosure to openness, from inner slavery to freedom of the heart.
Lighted lamps: faith that illuminates in the night
To this is added another image: “And keep the lamps burning.”. The lighted lamp is a symbol of the faith that illuminates the night, the light that does not deny the darkness, but allows us to walk in it. Faith is that small light, fragile perhaps, but enough not to stop. It is the certainty that we are not alone in the night.
Let us not be afraid to go out of the house, to go through the shadows, because the light of faith accompanies us. the light of faith accompanies us.
Waiting for the Beloved
The text continues with another image: “Be like those who wait for their lord when he returns from the marriage feast.”Where is this Lord? He has gone to celebrate a wedding. This image condenses the whole history of salvation: God is celebrating his covenant with humanity. Jesus has sealed that union forever, and when it reaches its fullness, He will return.
We live this time as a time of waiting for the Beloved. And this waiting transforms our whole existence: it is no longer just waiting, but desiring, preparing, opening our hearts.
The Gospel states: “to open to him as soon as he comes and knocks at the door.”. Here resounds a promise of the Apocalypse: “I stand at the door and knock”. God does not burst in forcing our life, but knocks and waits. Often, the knocks of life are also knocks. If we learn to recognize his voice, then we will be able to open.
The God who serves
In the end, our life comes down to that essential gesture: opening the door to God. Jesus has crossed death to reach us, but he wants the encounter to be free. That is why he awaits our act of faith, of trust, of surrender. And when we do so, the unthinkable happens: the Lord girded his loins, made us sit at table and served us himself..
This is the great revolution of the Gospel: God is not a master who demands, but a God who loves by serving.. Jesus breaks all religious images of power to reveal to us a humble, close, servant God.
Coming as a thief: a surprise of love
And there is an even more disconcerting image: Jesus compares his coming to that of a thief. It is a statement that may make us uncomfortable, but in the logic of biblical language it is not contradictory, but complementary. Yes, God respects our freedom. He lets us make that last gesture of opening the door. But, at the same time, he does not abandon us to our fate.
God also comes with boldness, like a thief, to save us.. He bursts into our lives even when we do not expect him, even when we are asleep or distracted. Because his love does not resign itself to our indifference. He surprises us, wakes us up, takes us by surprise, to tear us away from the place where we are stuck.
Watchful and loving waiting
Therefore, our life is called to be an active, vigilant, loving waiting. A waiting not of fear, but of desire. A waiting in which the heart remains awake, because it has not lost hope.
May this Gospel help us to live with our waist girded and our lamps burning. May we know how to wait for the Lord, not with anxiety, but with confidence. May we know how to recognize his voice, even if it comes as a whisper or as an unexpected blow. May we never let the lamp of faith go out. And, above all, may we never forget that the God in whom we believe is the One who becomes a servant, who enters our home and transforms our life into a banquet of love.