Scripture:
1 Corinthians 1:17-25
Matthew 25:1-13
Reflection:
“Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
I don’t know about you, but I oftentimes find I am missing some event or message simply because I wasn’t focused or plugged into the moment at hand! Bad habit to have, Jesus reminds us today! I can procrastinate with the best of them! This happened a lot when I was working from home during the pandemic. I found I could easily put off something until tomorrow instead of taking care of it that day. We didn’t seem to have a schedule, one day ran into another! There were more days I was asleep than awake!
I am halfway through month 2 of retirement! Life is good! I am finding the days go by very quickly as we spend most days being beach bums and taking advantage of summer in Michigan and Kentucky! Someone gifted us with a clock minus the hands as a retirement gift! At first when we found there was a place for a battery, we attempted to put one in until we realized what good is a battery without a function! The message became loud and clear as we realized time as we have known it does not exist anymore. No more lessons to plan, no more online teaching, no more parent meetings, no more agendas to follow! Wow this is great!
As I coast into a different lifestyle in retirement, not quite knowing what it will all look like, I am finding the pace that allows Jesus’ words, ‘stay awake’ to take on more meaning! Each new day brings another example of God’s beauty and grace. Some of these profound moments include; prayer and tea with God on the deck; the beauty of God’s creation in cloud formations or sunsets on the lake; a new directee in spiritual direction sharing her God moments; the love and gratitude expressed by my parish at my grand retirement party topped off by my family traveling from Michigan to celebrate with us.
We are living in trying times, no doubt about it, but it is also true that these times can include moments of grace and hope.
‘Stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour’!
This admonition can mean many things depending on our life situations, etc. For the terminally ill person who has suffered much and is tired and just wants to go home to Jesus, these words can be hopeful. For the person down on their luck and feeling there is no way out and feels God is not close, these words could be a clarion call to wake up and see that God is very much alive in the people trying to help you.
May we be like the wise virgins who were prepared to welcome the bridegroom with full lamps as we continue to journey through life awake and aware of God’s many blessings that surround us.
Theresa Secord is a Pastoral Associate at St. Agnes Parish, Louisville, Kentucky.