Daily Thought For August 25, 2022
Stay Awake!
Lectio
Matthew 24:42–51
Meditatio
“Stay awake!”
The Greek word translated as “stay awake” indicates a constant vigil. Monks of the Eastern tradition would keep vigil through the night in prayer, standing toward the rising sun, in a gesture symbolic of the stance all creatures should have as we await the final return of the Son of God. We are more familiar with vigils at the bedside of the sick or dying. We keep vigil with others, comforting them with our presence, awaiting a turn for the better or a dying person’s last breath. We are all too familiar with waiting, but sometimes our waiting is not like watching in constant vigil. We wait for conflicts to end or babies to be born. We wait for pay increases, good weather, or Christmas to arrive. We wait in checkout lines, restaurants, to receive the Eucharist. We spend much of our life waiting. And the waiting often frustrates and annoys us, breaks our hearts, or leads to boredom.
Today’s Gospel might seem distant to us with its stories of thieves breaking into a house, servants and masters, and food distribution. A deeper level of meaning can be found here, however. We all are waiting, on many levels, for many things. We wait for the passing of time and the end of things over which we have no control. We wait for the second coming of the Son of Man. All this frustrating or boring “waiting time” can be transformed into “vigil time.” By keeping constant vigil we wait in a spirit of prayer, expecting God’s loving providence for us now and always. In keeping vigil we support and comfort others, being present and attentive to their every need. Living life as a constant vigil, we have a hushed anticipation that the glory of the Resurrected One shines over the darkness of this world’s sorrow and pain.
Oratio
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. From this moment forward I will strain to see your face everywhere I go. I will watch for you in my neighbor, in my church, in my place of work. I will keep vigil in prayer in the silence of my heart and in the beauty of the community at Eucharist. Maranatha!
Contemplatio
Come, Lord Jesus, come.
Daughters of St. Paul, Ordinary Grace Weeks 18–34: Daily Gospel Reflections, ed. Maria Grace Dateno and Marianne Lorraine Trouvé (Boston, MA: Pauline Books & Media, 2011), 72–73.