Vigilance

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Vigilance

Watchfulness   Attentiveness

Stay   Spiritually   Awake

Know Not The Day Or The Hour

Readiness

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Matthew 25: 13

Jesus told His disciples a parable about ten virgins: five were wise and took plenty of oil for their lamps but the other five were foolish and did not have enough oil. The five without enough oil did not get into the wedding feast as they were too late since they had to leave to buy oil. The other five had no problem.

Jesus ended His parable with these words:

"Therefore, remain awake, for you do not know the day or the hour."

Reflection

Nobody like to wait. We live in a society that wants everything to happen very quickly. Vigilance is low on our list of things to do and attitudes to have.

Of course we have the old saying "Good things happen to those who wait". However, many people would like to replace it with "Better things happen to those who don't have to wait!".

Speed is everything for us. We are thrilled that AI is going to help us get our daily tasks done so much faster. We can find out through our phones the quickest route to our destination. 

Patiently waiting for a person to mature is challenging for us. We want our children and our grandchildren to always do the right thing and make good decisions. The stupid things that some young people do because it has been posted online can drive us crazy.

Good things happen through our watchfulness. We can keenly observe a change in a child's behavior. We can notice when she or he seems discouraged or disappointed. We can be ready for an opportunity to help or to console.

Our attentiveness can bear much fruit. We can notice that there is a need in our community to bring joy to those who have suffered a loss. A simple phone call or a friendly visit can make a big difference.

We can practice the discipline of being spiritually awake to both our own needs and the needs of others. As we pray the Holy Spirit might gently whisper the name of a person into our hearts. Our reaching out to them in love can lessen the burden of pain in their lives.

Jesus tells us in our scripture from Matthew that we will not know the day nor the hour of the Lord's Coming. There are many people who like to speculate about the Second Coming. We can wind up wasting a lot of time and energy worrying about an exact time.

I remember teaching a religion class at Maria Regina High School one afternoon at 12 PM. There was a prediction that day which had gained some currency about the end of the world and the Second Coming.

At the beginning of the class some of the students were joking about it. Then suddenly it got very dark outside. I could immediately sense a change in mood among the students. There was relief at the end of the class: we all survived!

The advice from Jesus is simple: be ready! 

Our call is to live the Good News each day. If we are vigilant and watch for opportunities to share and live our faith, the Holy Spirit will provide many for us. Our patient waiting will bear much fruit.

Vigilance is not easy. We get tired and distracted. We want things to happen quickly. We love when things happen on OUR schedule. It is a big challenge to wait for God's schedule.

When we do wait and are ready, we are like those five virgins in the parable that Jesus shared. They went into the Feast because of their readiness. Their lights shone. 

They were ready for the Light.

That Light, the Light of Jesus who is the Light of the world, will always lead us and reward our vigilance.

Let us keep our eyes open.

Let us keep our hearts ready.

Jesus is with us!

1. How do you feel about waiting?

2. Is it a challenge for you to wait for those you know to mature?

3. What are some good things that have happened to you through your waiting and vigilance?

4. Have you noticed any needs that should be addressed in your community through your attentiveness?

5. What do you feel as you contemplate Kathy's photo?

(Scripture adaptation, reflection, and questions by John McNamara)