A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew 24:42-51
(Glory to you O Lord!)
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this:
if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.
“Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant,
whom the master has put in charge of his household
to distribute to them their food at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so.
Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property.
But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is long delayed,’
and begins to beat his fellow servants,
and eat and drink with drunkards,
the servant’s master will come on an unexpected day
and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely
and assign him a place with the hypocrites,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
The Gospel of the Lord (Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ!).
Reflection: Stay awake. Jesus will come again
Today we celebrate the feast of the memorial of St Monica. St Monica is the mother of Saint Augustine and the wife of Patritius. She is known for her grace of piety, forbearance, patience, holiness, and persistence of faith as she prayed for the conversion of her husband daily, as her husband was not yet a follower of God. Her constant prayers for her husband were later rewarded with joy as Patritius decided to change his way and follow the teachings of our Lord Jesus and he was baptized a year before his death.
When her son, Augustine went astray from the faith and decided to give in to the whims of the world, St Monica continued to implore him to return to the faith and constantly prayed for him for many years. Her constant prayers for her son were also granted with joy as Augustine was impressed by the holiness and great wisdom of St Ambrose, the Bishop of Milan, who guided him back to following our Lord Jesus and our Catholic Faith. Her son, Augustine later became a great doctor and defender of our Catholic Faith, and later became known as Saint Augustine.
The gospel reading for today, reminds us not be complacent. To be aware of the present time, to stay on the course to daily holiness by using the gifts we have for the betterment of everyone around us, whether it is at home, at work, or in our communities. The questions we should ask ourselves is “are we allowing the distractions of the world to control our way of life and separate us from following God? Are we giving in to the whims of the world to a life drunkenness, or self-indulgence and dissipation ? Do we allow the temptations of procrastination, complacency, laziness, and apathy to rule our lives rather than following the teachings and daily promptings of Jesus to live lives of holiness, mercy, kindness and love?
Following the distractions of social media, the news, and the consumer focused mentality of the nation to material things can keep us away from focusing on our Lord Jesus.
Remember that all we have is “the now”, “the present time”, to serve, to give joy, to be kind, to love, to be grateful, to grant mercy, to forgive one another … at this very moment of time. We have one life to live. We do not know how much time we have left in this world. We do not know what tomorrow brings, but we do know is that the one who grants us the grace of another day accompanies us. God knows what tomorrow brings and He will be there to guide us.
Brothers and Sisters. Stay awake. Jesus will come again. May we live each day as if it is our last. May we emulate the holiness, grace of great faith, and persistent way of prayer of St Monica for her loved ones … in our daily lives. Share the good news and the blessings of God’s presence, peace and love to everyone, as we gather all the faithful to His kingdom.
Action for the Day:
In silent prayer, thank God for the blessings of a new day. Ask God to grant us the strength to avoid the distractions of this world that keeps us from forgiving each other and loving one another. Listen to the promptings and guidance of God’s Holy Spirit. Share God’s message to always be ready for the return of Jesus, and share His kindness to all.
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