28th NOVEMBER.SATURDAY OF WEEK 34

READINGS

1.Daniel 7:15-27

2.Gospel: Luke 21:34-36

Realism and Hope

Hope is one of the Christian virtues. This statement of Jesus, " Be vigilant" means many different things. It could be: to grab the opportunity when opportunity knocks; not to waste time; to prepare for coming of our death and the second coming of Christ and the fulfillment of the establishment of God's Kingdom.

But what are those things that we should be vigilant of at all times and pray? First, we should be vigilant against the evil spirit and his temptation. It is because the evil spirit is very real in our ordinary daily living. He is roaming around us. He always finds ways on how to destroy us; on how to attack us especially in our relationship with God. He attacks us when we are sad; at our weakest point; when we are on trials and difficulties in life. He comes to us not by sudden fall into sin or on a grand scale but by the routine and undramatic temptations of our daily life. He sows doubts and confusion so that we will not be able  to know the truth about God and His Kingdom. But we can overcome evil by our own vigilance, discernment, faithfulness, patience, self-control, determination and faith.

Second, let us be vigilant of our death. It is because there is nothing certain in this world than our own death. All of us will experience death. Death is our common destiny. But also there is nothing more uncertain in this world than death itself in the sense that no one knows the day or the time that we will die. Death is like a thief that comes in the night, unexpected and sudden. Like for example, at the present we are talking and joking  with somebody but then after a minute we suffer heart attack and on the spot we die. And so the advice of Jesus is that we have to be prepared and be ready at all times.

Third, let us be vigilant for the second coming of Christ. On that day we will make an account of our lives. And I hope that this final day should not catch us by surprise. Let us be aware that we have to return of what God has given to us as gifts but of course with fruits. Let us spend our limited time wisely in the service of God. Let us follow the advice of our Lord Jesus in today's gospel, namely not to "become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness, and the anxieties of daily life.  We learn the lesson from today's gospel account that faith thrives more during adversity than during peace and financial prosperity. Thus Luke also advises, " pray constantly." Live in God's presence and then you will " stand secure before the Son of Man" when he comes full in glory.

Let us ask ourselves, " Is there anything in my life that would not be in keeping with my condition as a child of God?"

Jesus warns against becoming so immersed in the attractions and cares of life that we will fail to see beyond them. We need to step back and find a space in which we can become aware of the Lord and his presence to us. In the language of the gospel we are to watch, to become watchful, attentive to the Lord within and beyond all of life. Such watchfulness and attentiveness is at the heart of prayer. That is what prayer is, which is why the gospel says, "stay awake, praying at all times." How can we pray at all times? Is prayer not something we do from time to time? Paul says something similar at the end of his first letter to the Thessalonians when he calls on the church there to "Pray without ceasing." Jesus and Paul were calling for a contemplative stance towards life, a prayerful attentiveness to the Lord at all times, before all situations, in the midst of all our tasks. To help  us do this, we could take a very short prayer drawn from the scriptures and allow it to echo quietly in our hearts as we go about our day, a prayer like, "Lord, make haste to help me," or, as we begin the season of Advent this evening, the simple Advent prayer, " Come Lord Jesus."