Waiting

Today’s Gospel Text: "Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the marriage feast, so that they may open to him at once when he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes; truly, I say to you, he will gird himself and have them sit at table, and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those servants! Luke 12:35-38

Reflection: Life is a constant waiting

We have to constantly wait in life, either for our turn to come or for our turn to finish.

We could wait for someone or we could wait for none.

Some waiting is worth the wait and even the process is joyful and the long wait is made easy because of the goodness and beauty of the end goal.

Even those who wish to die have to wait for their turn.

But there are some types of waiting which are crucial to life, sustenance and survival. Among these some are not easy to practice if not made a habit and discipline of daily life. 

It is this difficulty that Jesus is communicating to the general public and the prerequisite for us to have this discipline for our life, sustenance and survival.

The most beautiful part of this waiting is that it is not a mere drudgery or a painful grind, even though it may seem to be. It is a marriage feast in which the master is coming home to and the occasion is abundantly joyful and worth all the trouble.

The wait too is rewarding assures the master, he will spontaneously and humbly serve the ones waiting for him with faithfulness, diligence and perseverance.

Since the relevance of this waiting is very significant, one would only be a fool to procrastinate ones decision making in this waiting.

Get down right now on your knees and implore to him for all the help that you may require to wait. Do not fail to take complete advantage of the help that comes your way  in order to wait on him who is an unavoidable necessity for us; Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Lord as I take my vow to wait on you daily help me by your grace never to backslide in my commitment to you.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

Humbly Least

Today’s Gospel Text: At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them, 3 and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; 10 "See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.                  Matt 18:1-5, 10 

Reflection: From this gospel text we realize that there is a difference between the poor and the really poor in the Christian sense of the term.

There are those who are poor in the material sense and who have nothing and yet have everything and wouldn’t care a less when it comes to serving his neighbor or reaching out to him when in need, even though this could be a rare thing about them.

Whereas there are those who may have all the riches of the world at their disposal and they could have opted for that path of self sufficiency and yet may have chosen to be nothing.

These are the ones who have turned and become like little children, who do not have self-centered goals and ambitions in life and hence would not do evil in order to achieve their own goals or visions in life.

These children would rather prefer to be cared for by their heavenly Father and look to him for sustenance and protection.

Their food would be to do the will of their Father who is in heaven (Jn. 4:34)  and since the Father cares for all his children, they in seeking to do the will of the Father reach out to the world, even in the isolated world in which they may opt to live in.

These are the least in the Christian community who men may want to despise most willingly as ones without talent; for what is talent without a relationship with God. 

Here we do not speak about the greatness of St. Peter or St. Paul but rather about the greatness of the lesser known saints, who were without fame or positions in their lifetime.

Here we are speaking about Mary too who although was the mother of our Savior and God and yet lived a humble simple and lesser known life.

The Lord indeed has looked upon the low esteem of his servant and surely henceforth all generation shall call her blessed. (cfr. Lk. 1:48)

Prayer: Lord, you who cast away the mighty from their thrones and raises up the lowly, grant that I may serve you with a humble spirit and a contrite heart. (cfr. Lk. 1:52)

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us