O come, Thou Key of David, come and open wide our heavenly home
Make safe the way that leads on high and close the path to misery.
When I was in high school, there was a new name coined for many of us: the latchkey generation. They were the children and teens who had keys to their homes because, after school, there would be no one to pick them up at school and no one to meet them at home. They would have to let themselves in because their parent or parents were working and would not come home until later in the evening.
The latchkey kids were responsible for cleaning the home and, oftentimes, preparing dinner. They were left to monitor their own actions because their parents were not going to be at home until later in the day. This was something that developed naturally over the course of years as single parents or both parents entered the workforce in order to provide for their children.
It was important to have that key and just as important not to lose it or share it with others. This was because, at just around that same time, our world was becoming a bit more dangerous. When I was a child, I do not think there was a front or back door in the neighborhood that was locked. Oh, there were locks in place. However, they were never used. Our world was safe and neighborhood kids came and went into any of the neighbors’ homes.
But the necessity for locking things up became more important as break-ins began happening. Parents feared for the safety of their children as well as for the plundering of their homes. Doors were locked and even double-locked with a deadbolt.
Jesus has been called the Key of David and His death and resurrection unlocked the gates of heaven so that we could come home at the end of our days. He is the Key that we all need to carry in our hearts so that we can return home.
FAITH ACTION: Ask God for the grace needed to remain on the path to the Kingdom this day.