If there was one important lesson my grandmother taught me it is this: always be ready. As a young teenager, I accompanied my grandmother to many prayer meetings and parties with her friends. She wanted me to be properly dress and on the day of the party, she wanted me to practice the piano. Always be ready, especially if there was a piano at the home we were visiting.

Memorizing music was an important value to my grandmother. She always wanted me to have two contrasting pieces in my fingers. She had an elegant way of inviting me at any moment to entertain people at the party and offer a song for the delight of the soul.

I realize in my adult life how that has transmitted to all aspects of my professional life. Always be ready, be prepared, ready to give the best of ourselves to others. A priceless lesson indeed.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus sets the tone of urgency to keep watch for the his unexpected coming. There is a readiness that commands us to gird our loins.

This expression to gird your loins comes from the practice of people in the Hebrew scriptures, who wore long, loose garments that needed to be gathered and secured with a belt or cord known as a girdle or loincloth, which allowed freedom of movement for traveling, running, fighting, or manual labor. One had to tie up the loose ends of the garment so that it wouldn’t hinder movement. The loins themselves were the foundation of the body and, in a spiritual sense, the foundation of the soul.

Saint John Chrysostom interprets girding your loins as a pursuit of truth. He calls us to pursue all our duties with truth, whether it is a doctrine or a proper way of life. Living in truth strengthens our soul and prevents us from falling.

The First Reading from Wisdom reminds us of how God’s people girded their loins on the night of Passover. They had a steadfast faith in Yahweh, which gave them courage and sure knowledge. They remained faithful and became his special possession, watching their enemies fall under the might of God. The psalmist echoes the sentiments of God’s people,

See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him, upon those who hope for his kindness, to deliver them from death and preserve them in spite of famine.

The Letter to the Hebrews emphasizes this point on faith. It is the faith of Abraham that guided his journey, securing his deep trust in Yahweh as he was to be the father of many nations and sacrifice his son Isaac. Abraham girded his loins and remained faithful to God.

In the big picture, gird your loins is a powerful biblical metaphor urging all of us to be spiritually alert for the coming of Christ. We prepare ourselves by being disciplined, resisting worldly temptations, and waiting with joyful expectation for the coming of Christ. How is this all possible? Through faith and a deep abiding trust in a loving God. You do not have to do it alone.

Do not miss the point! Jesus calls us his little flock. If we are his flock, he is the Good Shepherd. He will not abandon us to the whims of our enemy.