Be vigilant

For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth.  Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man. (Luke 21:35, 36)

Reflection

Right after the Presidential election, during the first week of November, I was stunned by two shockers on the radio.  First, I started hearing Christmas songs!  Then I heard a political pundit offer names of Democrats and Republicans who might run for president in 2016.  Woah!  Slow down the clock, Father Time!

Does it bother anyone else that the month of December is loaded with “Christmas” songs, rather than Advent songs?  Granted, we don’t have many of the latter, but today’s Gospel warns us to “Stay Awake” and appreciate the present season of Advent BEFORE we click into the future.  Being vigilant at all times means to take Advent solemnly.  For example: savor, observe, wait, stop, slow down, look up, pray, and beg the Lord deliverance from the hustle and bustle of December in America.  “Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man."

Know that he is near

"Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things happening, know that he is near, at the gates.” (Mark 13:28,29)

Reflection

Recently one of my Facebook friends posted the following line on his page:  “I wonder how I will die...anyone else ever think about that?”

On first face, you might think such a posting is a morbid thought, or that no one else ever thinks about the “end times.”  But I think everybody wonders about the future, confronted as we are by the cold and sorrowful circumstances around us.  Sometimes too those thoughts lead to fear and obsessive meanderings.  We fear we might be cast away and sent far from God and loved ones. Left out in the cold.

But the Lord is not one to lead us to despair about the future:  whether it be the fate of the whole world, or our own days ahead.  No, the words of Jesus to His disciples are those of Courage.  The apocalyptic style of writing was used to encourage and strengthen people in times of questioning and persecution. 

My Facebook friend wonders a common question:  what does the future hold for me?  Let us find hope in the words of Jesus who tells us God will be near to us, and he will gather us to Himself from all the various winds and motions of chaos.  As we anticipate the cold and chilly, dark storms of winter, “know that summer is near.”  In the same way, “know that he is near, at the gates.”  Keep in mind the open pasture where “You will show me the path to life, fullness of joy in your presence.” (Ps 16)

Love your neighbor

To love God with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices. Mark 12:33

Reflection

Why do we make the sign of the Cross?  Since we were little, Catholics have been taught one of the most basic prayers – one with no words really:  the Sign of the Cross.  We were taught to use the fingers of the right hand to touch the forehead, the chest, and then both shoulders (left to right), signing our whole bodies with the gesture of the Cross.  One could use words or not, but you may wonder why we do this?

In today’s Gospel we have an inspiring answer.  Jesus reminds us of the Greatest commandment, the Shema, to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.  As we make the Sign of the Cross, we dedicate our bodies on all four of those points:  touching the forehead is to love with all our mind, the chest directs us to love with heart and soul, and our shoulders bear the strength of love, especially when it requires heavy lifting.

We do not sign ourselves for our own good, so that we feel holier.  But we do so for the sake of others:  i.e. our neighbor.  The Sign of the Cross is a preparation of our bodies to meet the Lord in the stranger and to respond with mind, soul, and strength.  It is a way of physical conditioning whereby we donate our whole selves to our neighbor. 

Go ahead.  Make the Sign on yourself and follow the words of Christ:  You shall love your neighbor as yourself.