The end is nigh
The truth, as Jesus tells us, is that we do not know when the end is coming, and so we need always to be ready. In the Gospel, Jesus assures us that God will be with us for all time, whatever peril or calamity may come our way, whatever horror we might be going through, and however dark the clouds may be. That is his promise, his assurance. Jesus does not say about his second coming to make us feel frightened or anxious or guilt-ridden. Rather he wants to keep us on our toes. He is challenging us to think about our lives, to look constantly at our relationship with God and with our brothers and sisters. He is prodding us to make sure that how we live is the right way to live, that what we do is the right thing to do.