“Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.” (MT 24:42)
“Stay awake,” expect Our Lord’s coming, “for you do not know on which day your Lord will come.” Our lives are not only for earth, we are invited to spend all eternity with God in Heaven, and being “awake” help us to remember “here and now” how to love more, how to believe stronger, and how to have hope which always leads you to Him.
“Stay awake! For you do not know when the Son of Man will come.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“‘Who then can be saved?’ Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For men this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.’” (MT 19: 26)
Our salvation is based on Jesus’ death on the Cross, not on our achievement or as a reward for our fantastic lives. No one can be saved by himself, but “for God all things are possible,” and the one thing we can do is to give our lives to Him and trust more in His love and mercy.
“Jesus Christ became poor although he was rich so that by his poverty you might become rich.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“‘Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.’” (MT 18: 21-22)
Our question—“must I forgive if my brother sins against me?” and universal answer—for sure we must forgive. But the problem is not here; more important is—“how often”? And this is far beyond our expectation: “not seven times but seventy-seven times,” which generally means—always. There is no other way for us except to follow God’s word. If He says seventy-seven times, it means—no less. Fortunately for us, even if we are below these standards, He always is faithful.
“Let your countenance shine upon your servant and teach me your statutes.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today. Drill them into your children. Speak of them at home and abroad, whether you are busy or at rest. Bind them at your wrist as a sign and let them be as a pendant on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.” DT6: 5-9
There is only one name in which we are saved—Jesus, the Lord. There is only one thing He expects from us—to allow Him to love us and to love Him. And because we are human, we receive good suggestions about how to remember: “take to heart these words”, “drill them,” “speak of them whether you are busy or at rest,” “bind them at your wrist,” and “write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.” We need reminders to remember; we need rituals daily, weekly, monthly and yearly.
“Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life to light through the Gospel.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; from the cloud came a voice, ‘This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.’ Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them.” (MK 9: 7-8)
The Transfiguration of the Lord was to strengthen the faith of the disciples. The voice of God the Father came from the cloud: “this is my beloved Son. Listen to him” to confirm His Son’s mission. But what is more important, with the Transfiguration we received a precious gift—the freedom to see no one but Jesus as an answer to all our needs—“looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them.” He is the answer, the solution, the help and only hope.
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“Forty days you spent in scouting the land; forty years shall you suffer for your crimes: one year for each day. Thus you will realize what it means to oppose me.” (NM 14: 34)
At that time it was the only way: “thus you will realize what it means to oppose me.” In this time God gave us His Son to take all our sins and all our weaknesses to the Cross—“thus we will realize what it means to oppose Him.”
“A great prophet has arisen in our midst and God has visited his people.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“When the men of that place recognized him, they sent word to all the surrounding country.” (MT 14: 35)
How important for society is the scenario: “when the men of that place recognized him.” Sometimes even one man will be enough. When we receive grace to recognize Our Lord’s presence within His word, we can always “send word to all the surrounding country” like our family, our friends or our neighbors.
“Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 COR 12: 9)
Perfectionism and evangelical perfection are not the same. The first one is self oriented, and the second one is based on our love for God, where everything is for Him and where—and this is the most important and the most differentiating aspect—our weakness does not oppose perfection but is an obstacle to it. Weakness is something we will always have. “For power is made perfect in weakness.” It is not about me; it is about God’s love for me. “My grace is sufficient for you.”
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God.” (EPH 2, 19)
No one likes to be a stranger, especially among people who are very familiar with each other. It is like being a foreigner at the border where “fellow citizens” can go without any complications and you have to wait in a long line for interrogation at the immigration office, where an officer, even in a nice way, asks you: “why are you here”? “Give me a real reason to accept you in my country”. Fortunately, in Heaven we are “members of the household of God.” We are expected and longed for.
“You believe in me, Thomas, because you have seen me, says the Lord; blessed are those who have not seen, but still believe!” (Gospel Acclamation)
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.” (MT 9, 2)
The most important thing is “forgiven sins.” More important than health. Because “sins” means: I do not need God; I have better plan for myself; I am independent and self-sufficient. When we accept God’s unique gift of forgiveness and mercy, we can base our life with Him and with our brothers and sisters on true values: trust, relationship, protection, dependence and love.
“God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation”. (Gospel Acclamation)
