In today’s Gospel (Luke 12:39–48), Jesus calls us to vigilance—to be faithful stewards who live every moment ready for the coming of the Lord. “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much,” He says. That same spirit of responsibility and readiness defined one of the greatest saints of our time: St. John Paul II.

The Gospel presents a man described as “full of leprosy.” Not partially wounded. Not mildly afflicted. Completely sick. And yet this is the man who is healed — because he approaches Jesus correctly. Father Anthony Gramlich, MIC, explains that Scripture reveals three responses to spiritual leprosy. The first is pride: refusing to see one’s own sin while accusing everyone else. This leprosy cannot be healed because it denies the wound. The second is despair: seeing the sin clearly but believing mercy is impossible. This leprosy turns inward and never reaches the Physician.

Fr. Chris Alar, MIC, reminds us of a sobering truth: death is not the end — it’s the moment the Master comes for us. In today’s readings, we hear both the cause and the cure for death. Through one man, sin entered the world, and through sin, death. But through Christ, the new Adam, we are given the remedy: to be ready, vigilant, and in a state of grace when He comes.