But about that day and hour nobody knows,
not the angels in heaven
nor the the Son, 
but only the Father. 

Watch out.
Be ready. 

For you do not know when is the time. 

It is like a man, on a journey,
having left his house
and having given to his servants
each authority for  their allotted work.
And he commanded the doorkeeper to stay alert. 

So stay alert.

For you do not know when the Lord of the House returns – 
Evening or at midnight or at cockcrow or early in the morning-  
Lest coming suddenly he finds you sleeping. 

What I say to you, I say to everyone – stay alert!

Grant, Lord,
that we may hold to you without parting,
worship you without wearying,
serve you without failing;
faithfully seek you,
happily find you,
and forever possess you,
the only God,blessed now and for ever.
Amen

St Anselm

Learn the lesson from the fig tree .
As soon as its branch is  tender, and puts out the leaves, you know that the summer is near. 

So you also, when you see these things happen, know that it is near, at the gates. 

Truly I say to you that this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened. 

Heaven and earth will pass away, my words will not pass away.

Thank you, dear Jesus,
for all you have given me,
for all you have taken away from me,
for all you have left me.

Thomas More (c.1478-1535)

But in those days,
after that trouble:

the sun will be darkened, 
and the moon will not give its radiance, 
and the stars will fall from the heaven, 
and the powers which are in the heavens will be shaken.

And then they will see the Son of Man coming on clouds
with great power and glory. 

And then he will send the angels 
and he will gather the elect from the four winds,
from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is discord, union;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy,
For your mercy and for your truth’s sake. Amen

But when you see the abomination (which causes desolation)-
who stands where he must not,
– let the reader understand-
then let those in Judea flee to the mountains. 

But let the one on the rooftop not go down
nor enter to take anything from their house.

And let not the one who is in the field turn back to pick up their cloak.

Woe to those who are pregnant
and to those nursing their babies in those days. 

Pray that it will not be wintertime.

For in those days there will be trouble such as has never been since the beginning of creation (which God created) until now – and never ever will be. 

And unless the Lord had not shortened the days, no flesh would have been saved.
But because of the elect, whom he had chosen, he shortened the days. 

And then if someone says to you ‘Look, here is the Christ’ or ‘Look there!’, do not believe them. False Christs will appear and false prophets, and they will give signs  and wonders to deceive, if it is possible, the elect. 

So watch out for yourselves. I have told you all things in advance. 

O Lord Jesus Christ,
stay beside me to defend me,
within me to guide me,
before me to lead me,
and above me to bless me,
that with you and in you,
I may live, and move and have my being,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

(unknown)

Watch out for yourselves. 

They will hand you over 
to councils
and to the synagogues 
to be beaten.
Before rulers 
and kings
you will be made to stand:
because of me 
as a testimony against them. 

– And it is necessary first to preach the gospel to all nations. – 

And when they lead you away and so hand you over
do not worry beforehand about what to say,
but say whatever is given to you at that hour.
For it is not you (all) who are speaking but the Holy Spirit.
And brother will hand over brother to death, 
and father, child.
And children will turn against parents,
and they will have them killed.

And you all will be hated by everyone because of my name. 
The one who remains faithful to the end, they will be saved. 

Steer the ship of my life, good Lord, to your quiet harbour,
where I can be safe from the storms of sin and conflict.
Show me the course I should take.
Renew in me the gift of discernment,
so that I can always see the right direction in which I should go.
And give me the strength and the courage to choose the right course,
even when the sea is rough and the waves are high,
knowing that through enduring hardship and danger in your name
we shall find comfort and peace.
Amen

Basil of Caesarea (c.329-379)

And sitting on the Mount of Olives, opposite the temple, Peter, (and Jacob and James and Andrew) asked him privately:
‘Tell us, when will these things be,
and what will be the sign that all these things are about to happen?’

Then Jesus began to say to them:

“Watch out, lest anyone deceive you.

Many will come in my name saying that “I am he”.
and many will deceive. 

When you hear of wars and rumours of wars, do not be alarmed.
It is necessary to be, but it is not yet the end.
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, 

There will be earthquakes in place after place.
There will be floods. 

These things are the beginning of the pains.”

Take from us,
O God, all pride and vanity,
all boasting and self-assertion,
and give us the true courage that shows itself in gentleness,
the true wisdom that shows itself in simplicity,
and the true power that shows itself in modesty.

Charles Kingsley

And having left  the temple precincts, one of his disciples said to him:

‘Teacher, look –  what wonderful stones and buildings.’

And Jesus said to him:

‘Do you see these great buildings?

There certainly will not be one stone here left on another, which will not be thrown down.’

O thou, who art the light of the minds that know thee,
the life of the souls that love thee,
and the strength of the wills that serve thee;
help us so to know thee that we may truly love thee;
so to love thee that we may fully serve thee,
whom to serve is perfect freedom.
Amen

And when he sat opposite the collecting box, he watched how the crowd threw money into the collecting box and many rich people were putting† in large amounts. 

And a poor widow having come, put in two leptons* (that is equal to a quadrans + ). And having called his disciples, he said to them: ‘Truly, I tell you that this poor widow put in† more than everyone else who put into† the collecting box.  For everyone else puts in† out of their abundance, but she, from her poverty, put in all that she had, the whole of her life. 

*two small copper coins, the smallest coins in circulation in Palestine
+ the smallest Roman coin = 1/64th of a Denarius (a day’s wage)
† throwing

God be in head and in my understanding;
God be in my eyes and in my looking;
God be in my mouth and in my speaking;
God be in my heart and in my thinking;
God be at my end and at my departing.

In the course of his teaching,
he said:’
Watch out the scholars, who take pleasure in:
walking about in long robes,
greetings in the market places, 
having the best seats in the synagogues
and having the best places at feasts – 
those who cheat widows out of their property
and as  a pretext pray for a long time. 

These will receive more severe judgement.‘

Eternal Light, shine into our hearts;
Eternal Goodness, deliver us from evil;
Eternal Power, be our support;
Eternal Wisdom, scatter the darkness of our ignorance:
That we may seek your face
with all our heart and mind and soul and strength. Amen.
Alcuin