Advent Adventure

Advent Journey - Keep Awake

“Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” Read Matthew 25:1-13

Readiness, being alert, a sense of expectancy and hope, these are all things that Jesus tries to communicate through some of his parables. The foolishness of the five foolish virgins was not only that they forgot to bring extra oil, but because they assumed the exact time that the groom was going to come.

This raises the question: Who am I in the parable? Am I willing to wait on God even when I don’t know how long it will take? Can I faithfully entrust myself to the unknown with the certainty of God’s goodness? Talk to Jesus about these things.

This gospel helps us to focus on the here and now. It helps us to learn to live totally in the present, to seek and find God there. If we can do that, then all the rest will take care of itself. Let us try to renew our commitment to God and to building and growing our relationship with God through       regular prayer and reflection to awaken within us the will of God in out lives. In that presence we can ask God's help that we may realise what it is we might do now, how we might recognise the coming Christ and welcome him.

Even the disciples found keeping awake and praying difficult. Matthew 26:40-41 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Couldn't you men keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

Thomas Merton writes: ‘Every moment and every event in every person’s life plants something in their soul.’ Perhaps we should pray, Lord, You are busily at work in our lives, so help us catch on and respond so we give ourselves to You to be the praying ones. Make us those who watch and pray, those who watch unto prayer. Lord, wake us up from any stupor and from any sleep! We want to have an enriched prayer life and have all kinds of prayer. Lord, we petition You concerning our prayer life. May we be fully awake in our spirit, soul, and body, and watch unto prayer every day! Lord, strengthen us to watch and pray that we may not enter into temptation! Amen