Vigil

Today’s Gospel Text: Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.  Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy.   For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be. “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.  Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.  Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.  And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” Then Peter said, “Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?” 

And the Lord replied, “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute the food allowance at the proper time?  Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so.  Truly, I say to you, the master will put the servant in charge of all his property.  But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk then that servant’s master will come
on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish the servant severely and assign him place with the unfaithful. That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly.  Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”  Lk. 12: 32-48

Reflection: Often in life there are programs planned and things have to be accomplished.

No business or activities can be organized without an elaborate planning by those conducting it.

But for a successful program one needs to first have a check list of do's and don’ts and no one can at any time afford to miss out on the more important matters.

There are something’s in the process which is common to everyone, especially matters relating to the ultimate goal or vision to be accomplished.

Simply put; there is a check list for everything we do in life and in that checklist there are the more necessary and important things too which are inevitable, or even non-negotiable in order to merely accomplish it.

As in the process of life one of the important element that Jesus points out in today’s gospel is the need to keep the important checklist of life uppermost in our life:

“You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

In other words the call is for vigilance always and all times: It is a sure call for a life of prayer and waiting therein on the Lord who keeps coming to us each time we wait.

Practically, this means that we need to develop an attitude of vigilance and watch.

How did the early church accomplish this important warning of the Lord?

They used to make Saturday evening a moment of waiting by keeping a vigil of prayer knowing fully well that the Lord’s Day is a sure day.

They may have carried this weekly grace through out the week by their regular watch in prayer, even daily and often.

Many Christians do practice this and few among us may do it knowingly. There is an urgent need to do it so that we have the Lord with us in any emergency or urgent situation.

Prayer:  Lord, help me to keep to keep the vigil of prayer often and regularly so that I am not caught unaware in the face of the dangers of life.

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