FIRST SATURDAY OF THE MONTH, MEMORIAL OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, DECEMBER 2, 2023

MASS READINGS:

Gospel Lk 21:34-36

Jesus said to his disciples: "Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man."

REFLECTION

Be vigilant at all times....pray ....escape the tribulations

Growing up, there were "vigilant" ladies, whom I did not know, watching over us teenagers. They were "moral vigilantes", not busy bodies. If they saw inappropriate behavior, they never hesitated to walk up and tell us to stop. My one and only encounter with them was at the local hamburger joint. My boyfriend had his arm over my shoulders embracing me. An elderly lady walked up to me and told me to put a stop to it.

Embarrassed, I immediately took her advice. If my mother or father had seen me, I would have been not only embarrassed but ashamed that I had not known or done what was proper. Throughout the Bible we are told "to be vigilant" It appears twenty-three times in the New Testament.

Why are we always hearing about being vigilant, praying and staying out of temptation? God loves us so much that He keeps reminding us of the perils of the world, how easily we flirt with poor judgment, scandalize in our behavior, or follow the world's bidding to go down the wrong path of action, speaking, or dealing with people. The devil, the flesh and the world will be our downfall if we are not vigilant, prayerful for the graces needed to avoid the near occasion of sin.

It was good that I was told how to behave--that someone cared so much for me that she did not hesitate to correct me. We are to be vigilant, awake, alert, prayerful and offer our trials as sacrifices. But, it does not only apply to us. When we see a wrong, we should be ready and willing to correct and to speak up.

"To support one another in the things of the spirit is the true sign of good will between brothers, of loving kinship and sincere affection." (St John Chrysostom)

God bless you.