THE PRICE OF VIGILANCE
“You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
In last weekend’s gospel of the story of the rich fool, Jesus was exhorting us to put our ultimate security on him and on the treasures that will endure forever versus on earthly things. In today’s gospel, Jesus is underscoring the urgency of keeping our affairs in order (the affairs of the heart and of the soul) because at any time our life can be demanded back from us. I am a witness to this on a very regular basis, a constant reminder to me of the mystery of life and the design of God. A good friend of mine way back to my seminary years was found dead in his bedroom two weeks ago. It was a total shock to his family and close friends. He led quite a healthy lifestyle, and there was no prior diagnosis of any disease. Apparently, he had a seizure. He was just 32 years old. Most of us have heard situations like this including fatal accidents, but I wonder how they actively move us to truly assess and analyze the state of our spiritual life and reflect on our own readiness for the life to come.
If what we have in this world is transitory, is it reflected in the choices that I make and the things that I value? This can only be done through faith. No philosophical ideology/ies can bring one to a full conversion of heart, where one gets really convinced that our real citizenship is in heaven. Only faith can give us that. The second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews sums it up succinctly: Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen. It is a call and a challenge to believe, especially when all evidence is to the contrary, and things don’t seem to go the way we want. As St. Anselm famously said, “We don’t believe because we understand, but we understand because we believe.” It is a call and a challenge to persevere, especially when we are tempted to give up because the road ahead is too steep and the going is too difficult.
In this weekend’s gospel, Jesus gave his disciples an imagery that they could easily understand: “Gird your loins and light your lamps, and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.” During the time of Jesus, the long flowing robes that people used to wear were a hindrance to work, and when a person was ready to go to work, he gathered up his robes under his girdle to leave himself free for activity. The lamp referred in the gospel today is like the type of a cotton wick floating in a sauce-boat of oil. Always the wick had to be kept trimmed, and the lamp replenished or the light would go out.
In both examples, one has to be deliberate and conscious about those actions (girding and lighting). They require focus and concentration. One has to be single-minded. Therefore, we have to get rid of those things that block our way or hinder us to fulfill the work that God has given us. And, what is this important work? Our own unique vocation. What are those things that hinder us right now to be single-minded and focus on the work that God has given us? Jesus himself said in John 17:4 in his prayer to the Father: “I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do”. – Fr. Cary