Stay Alert Always

𝐍𝐎𝐕. 𝟐𝟗, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓: 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐓𝐇 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊 𝐈𝐍 𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐘 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈: 𝐃𝐚𝐧 𝟕:𝟏𝟓-𝟐𝟕

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦: 𝐃𝐚𝐧 𝟑:𝟖𝟐-𝟖𝟕 “𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐢𝐦.”

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋: 𝐋𝐊 𝟑𝟒-𝟑𝟔

𝑲𝒆𝒚 𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆: “𝑩𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉” (𝒗.36) 

         As we come to the end of the liturgical season, it would be of immense spiritual benefit to us if we will take stock of not only how we lived our lives and where we now stand before the Lord Our God but how to survive the day of judgment when it comes unexpectedly like a trap (𝐯.𝟑𝟒).

        Short this passage may be in 𝐋𝐤 𝟐𝟏:𝟑𝟒-𝟑𝟔, it carries with it the centrality of the message contained in the Sacred Scriptures which God has designed to be a means for us to clearly understand that our salvation rests not only in knowing who God is but in having a relationship with God.

        This is because God does not simply want that we be saved from sin (𝐑𝐨𝐦 𝟑:𝟐𝟑), but He wants us to establish a real relationship with Him so that He might be able to restore us to our original image and likeness.

        Today’s Gospel passage is a fitting reminder for us that we should not be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life (𝐯.𝟑𝟒) and should “𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧,” (𝐯.𝟑𝟔).

        This gospel also gives us an insight on how are we to prepare for this day of wrath that has been prophesied in the Scriptures? What is the first thing that we should prepare? Do we need a survival kit? If so, what should we include in the survival kit so that we will survive when the day of the Lord comes, at times, unexpectedly (𝐯.𝟑𝟒).

        Those who are familiar with and who regularly spend their weekends to climb mountains, trekking, or go hiking normally bring a survival kit in their backpacks. The survival kit would normally include the following: waterproof matches, compass, sterile surgical steel blade, signal mirror, pencil and paper, glass magnifier, about four meters of paracord, whistle, mini hacksaw, snare wire, nylon, needle, safety pins, duct tape, jungle-training cards which could be optional, dynamo-powered flashlight, among others.

        These are just samples of what go into a survival kit but what about the survival kit we will need on our way to the Kingdom of God. What do we need to put in so that we will survive when judgment day comes. We begin by realizing that in this life, we need to know only two things.

        One is that God brought us into this world so that we may help establish, sustain, maintain and strengthen his kingdom here on earth and to do this he laid out a plan for us – “𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞, 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥.” (𝐉𝐧 𝟏𝟎:𝟏𝟎). This is God’s plan. That through him we will have the capacity to live abundant lives, meaning a life in which the fruits of the Holy Spirit are visible.

        The other thing we need to be aware of is that in this life, we can be distracted and weighed down by a lot of things that will keep our minds away from the purpose for which we have all been created (𝐯.𝟑𝟒). Without us knowing it, we can become a slave to the seven deadly sins or what I call the PEG’S LAW that will separate us from the love of God – pride, envy, gluttony, sloth or laziness, lust, avarice and wrath.

        As we end the liturgical readings in the Ordinary Time it would help if we do a recollection of the readings we read and reflected upon because Jesus himself had warned us of the dangers of being inattentive to the Word of God. With the use of parables, Jesus warned us of the need to have enough oil (good deeds) in our lamps (heart) so that the doors of the Kingdom of God will not be shut when the bridegroom comes.

        He also advised us to turn our hearts into a fertile soil to allow the Word of God to grow. He also gave us enough time to rend our garments in time for the wedding feast. He taught us everything we needed to know and we should have taken all these to heart by now.

        Jesus warned us of the temptation to doze off spiritually, to fall asleep spiritually in the way death is described by the Jews (the Jews at times equate death with falling asleep), to be caught up in a maze of anxiety and concerns of daily living, to get fixated on the accumulation of wealth, possessions and even positions, to be enamored by self-exaltation, to be weighed down with dissipation and, drunkenness.

        Indeed, there are so many things that can build a wall between us and the Kingdom of God, and we may not even be aware of it. Worst is when we equate these worldly distractions as part of God’s plan in our lives and believe that it is. As pride is the opposite of humility, it can become the avenue through which all other sinful tendencies can come in.

         I remember hearing one time when a former elder of a Christian community I went to said “this community will not survive without me” and it really kept me wondering as I thought shouldn’t God be at the core of every church and or community hereabouts.

        But God knows our weaknesses. He knows where we have fallen short in our spiritual lives. He knows what areas in our lives we are struggling in. And He will come to our rescue and give us the support we need to overcome temptation and the strength to resist all occasions of sin but this will largely depend on how pliant we are to his promptings.

        As Christians, we should live our lives in lively expectation of the good things that are yet to come and if there is one thing that Our Lord cannot and will not tolerate it is the sin of indifference or an uncaring attitude especially when it comes to listening to the Word of God.

        This was what He warned his disciples of when He walked this earth and it cannot be said that He did not warn the people of the Day of the Lord when judgment will come and He will call those who'd listen to stand on His right and those who were indifferent He will make them stand on His left.

        This passage reminds us that we need to be “𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐲” (𝐯.𝟑𝟔) avail of the Sacrament of Confession, regularly receive the Holy Eucharist, and perform both the Spiritual and Corporal works of mercy. These are not an air-tight assurance that we will be saved but it will greatly help us escape all that is about to happen and that will allow us to stand before the Son of Man.

       The 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐲 are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 (𝐂𝐂𝐂 #𝟐𝟒𝟒𝟕), those being focused on getting a soul to Heaven. The 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐲 are: 𝐀𝐝𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫; 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭; 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐭𝐟𝐮𝐥; 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐟𝐮𝐥; 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲; 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐣𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬; 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝.

        The 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐲, on the other hand, are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 (𝐂𝐂𝐂 #𝟐𝟒𝟒𝟕), The 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐲 are: 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐲; 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐲; 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐝; 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝; 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬; 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐤; 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝. 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫, 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐲 𝐄𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭,

        The Seven Spiritual Works of Mercy and the Corporal Works of Mercy are what we should put into our survival kit. These will help us survive when that day will close in on us unexpectedly and it will help us stand before the Son of God when that day comes. (𝘌𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺 – 𝘕𝘰𝘷. 29, 2025)