Readings: 1 Cor. 1:1-9, Ps. 145:2-7, Matthew 24:42-51
“Watch, therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” (Matthew 24:42)
Jesus says to us today: “Watch, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” To be watchful is to be alert in the spirit. It means constantly reminding ourselves that the end must surely come.
Just as a good security officer never sleeps while on duty, being watchful requires that we diligently guard our hearts. Proverbs 4:23 defines spiritual watchfulness: “Guard your heart with all vigilance, for out of it proceed the wellsprings of life.”
St. Peter puts it beautifully when he wrote: “Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary, the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith.” (1st Peter 5:8-9).
The best way to keep watch is to get busy. It is not enough to be watchful; we must also do what God desires. Hence Jesus says: “Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find SO DOING.” Before we begin an activity, let us ask ourselves, “If the world were to end right now, will God be happy to meet me doing this?”
Always remember the end; always remember that even the air you breathe is borrowed and you will have to relinquish it someday. Thinking of our death often helps us to be less materialistic; it also helps us to forgive easily. Reminding ourselves that we shall die helps us to take life lightly and refrain from complaining when we don’t seem to have all we need.
Today, we celebrate Saint Monica. She was a woman of excellence, a mother to the core, a woman who believed that with God, nothing is impossible, and a true mother who would never give up on her wayward son. This woman believed in the power of prayer and continued to pray even when it seemed as if her boy was getting worse every day. Today, we celebrate a mama-father, a mama-bishop, and a super mum who knew the art of raising a child. St. Monica is an icon of true motherhood, a great patron of mothers, and a shining example of what it takes to be a mother.
Like the widow who kept pestering the unjust judge, St. Monica prayed relentlessly for her son, St. Augustine. Like the Canaanite woman who was prepared to receive insults from Jesus for the sake of her possessed daughter, St. Monica went through thick and thin for her son Augustine.
Let us pray: O God, who console the sorrowful and who mercifully accepted the motherly tears of Saint Monica for the conversion of her son Augustine, grant us, through the intercession of them both, that we may bitterly regret our sins and find the grace of your pardon. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. May God’s abundant blessings be upon us all. (Saint Monica. Liturgical Colour: White. Bible Study: 1 Cor. 1:1-9, Ps. 145:2-7, Matthew 24:42-51)
@Rev. Fr. Evaristus E. Abu