Jesus warned us we should be ready for the coming of the kingdom, the coming of the son of man. Blessed are the vigilant, Jesus said, ready for his return at any hour.

But what does it meant to be ready? Is it to have our theology right, all our sacraments, all our sins confessed? That’s important, but it’s not what Jesus was talking about when he said we should be prepared. The way we normally think about preparing to meet Jesus isn’t the way Jesus talked about it. Rather, he focused on something else, something bigger.

To be prepared for the coming of the son of man, Jesus talked about our ethics, our love of neighbor, our hearts’ treasure. His teaching is simple. We make it difficult. Jesus said his disciples should be light and flexible, making use of wealth and goods for the sake of the kingdom, for justice, rather than for ourselves. Christians weren’t meant to be greedy, to hoard their possessions. Rather, Jesus meant for Christians to share. We’re meant by our charity and our commitment to justice to create friendships which become communion, which is the earthly beginning of the peace of heaven.

This means that to be prepared for heaven, we should begin living according to the justice of heaven now, not waiting for it but living it. Not greedy, not selfish, not tight-fisted; rather, we should use our possessions to help others, to alleviate injustice, and to build relationships across difference—economic, racial, political, and so on. God appoints the poor to know which of the rich are his friends. This is the test for those of us materially blessed. Yes, theology and sacraments matter a great deal, but so does our ethics. In fact, it matters equally. Because it’s the practical beginning of heaven. And it’s how God wants us to share in it—through justice.

And so, be prepared. By charity and justice in neighborly love, be ready for the coming of Jesus.