Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore, stay awake! For
you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the
master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he
would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also
must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.
Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant, whom the master has put in
charge of his household to distribute to them their food at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so. Amen, I
say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. But if that wicked
servant says to himself, ´My master is long delayed,´ and begins to beat his
fellow servants, and eat and drink with drunkards, the servant´s master will
come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely
and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be wailing and
grinding of teeth."
Introductory Prayer: Lord,
I come to you again in prayer. Even though I cannot see you, I know through
faith that you are present in my life. I hope in your promise to be with me. I
love you, and I know you love me. Accept this prayer as a token of my love.
Petition: Lord, help me to
remain alert, keeping the goal of heaven always in mind.
1. Days and Hours: None
of us knows how long we have to live, nor did Jesus reveal how long human
history would continue before he came again for the Final Judgment. This should
make us realize we need to be always ready to meet Our Lord, to have our
actions true, and our conscience always clear. We need to be living as if each
day were our last, as if our eternal happiness depended on the choices and
actions of this very day. Every moment is precious and important in God’s eyes,
and the one necessary thing is working to attain our salvation. This is more
important than anything else we can accomplish in life.
2. True Prudence: The
servant who is constant and steady, who does what he is supposed to do at each
moment, is the truly prudent person. God wants us to be faithful and follow his
will every single day. This is the path to holiness and union with God; there is
no other way we can be close to God except by doing his will, out of love and
gratitude. How do my actions today reflect loving obedience to God’s will?
Am I putting God at the center of my life, or do I have him and
his will relegated to the margins, paying attention to what he wants of me only
from time to time?
3. A Long Delay: Often
it can seem that God is distant and not involved in our lives. It can seem that
he is not coming back anytime soon, and this can lead us to become distracted
with many other things. Every day we need to renew our spirit of faith in God
and in his constant presence, living each day to please him, no matter how long
the delay seems to be. We need to live in his presence through faith in him and
his revelation, which guides us along the pathway to eternal life. We need to
keep a lively, operative faith in God and in his presence every day.
Conversation with Christ: Lord,
teach me to pray with real faith in you and in your word which gives life. Help
me believe at every moment so that I can please you, do your will and grow in
holiness.
Resolution: I will renew my faith
each day, frequently making conscious and fervent acts of faith
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