There is a word used in the first reading today from Ephesians 2 four times. That word is peace. “For he (Christ Jesus) is our peace.” “…Thus establishing peace…” “He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near…” You think St. Paul is trying to get a message across? Peace be with you.
In the Gospel reading from Luke 12, Jesus talks about servants awaiting their master’s return from a wedding. He says, “Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.” I did a bit of study on this word “vigilant.” It means: ever awake and alert; sleeplessly watchful. Of course, the root word is vigil, which means keeping awake during the customary hours of sleep. Like the Easter Vigil. That service typically lasts many hours into the night. I don’t know about you, but I find it very hard to stay awake at night.
Being vigilant is a tough thing to do. To stay alert and awake at all times requires a great deal of focus. You have to be single-minded. Unfortunately, one of Satan’s great tricks is distraction. Satan wants nothing more than for us to lose our focus. To forget about the Master’s return. In fact, he wants nothing more than for us to forget about the Master altogether! But we won’t let that happen, will we? Let us remember to continue the vigil until the Master returns, or calls us home…whichever comes first.
Father, help us to be vigilant; single-minded and focused on Christ Jesus and the mission that He has given us. May we keep the vigil until the end. Amen.
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