[gromitt82]

Today's Gospel (Mk 13:33-37): Jesus said to his disciples: «Be alert and watch, for you don't know when the time will come. When a man goes abroad and leaves his home, he puts his servants in charge, giving to each one some responsibility; and he orders the doorkeeper to stay awake. So stay awake, for you don't know when the Lord of the house will come, in the evening or at midnight, when the cock crows or before dawn. If He comes suddenly, do not let him catch you asleep. And what I say to you, I say to all: watch».

Jesus’ message when we initiate the new liturgical year is very simple and very clear: just “watch” for we do not know when the Lord may summon each one of us to His presence.

Some of us may feel that we run no risk whatsoever and we are ready to go any time. I personally believe this is a serious mistake we may be making. Our responsibility towards our Creator does not finish when we fulfil what we consider our Christian duties.
But are we sure of what our Christian duties include?
The capital duty of them all is the love between us and God.

Love is a very hard word to digest at times. It is often misunderstood. Often mistaken for other things at times. Sometimes it can be selfish and this is when it involves self and no others. But in this case here, we only want to deal with true love.

True love must begin by loving God intimately in a spiritual way. This love cast a net of responsibility around you that will be based upon principles MORE than feelings. The love that we have in a relationship with God will further our relationships in life because we have learned what true love is. Being in a relationship with God is a foundation because it teaches you the following tenets of love: Denial of self, sympathy, common sense which deals with Godly logic and not human philosophy, and obedience.

A wise man said once: “The love between I and humans must be dictated by God via his limits and boundaries. We only must love him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. So God establishes the parameters of love firstly. So then, if he is only to be loved this way, it means that we must not love our fellow man in the exact same manner that we love God but only in similar form and fashion, that is, as ourself. Our love between us and God, establishes the love of self, so now, after loving ourself, which has principles and boundaries, we now have the ability and the degree by which we love our fellow man and as stated before, it must not equivocate the love that we have for God”.

Now then, I honestly confess that I am far from loving God in such a way, for it certainly implies to sacrifice everything to this love which I simply cannot do. So I must add this disobedience to my other failures. For example, inhibiting myself of all the social injustices that surround me. To play it safe, to avoid myself to get into trouobled waters.

So the best thing I can do is to follow Jesus’ advice: “Stay awake and watch”.

[N0help4u]

The lesson I get also is that while others are running to buy the newest biggest screen TV to sit complacently and watch their favorite shows we should be living a Christian life not all wrapped up in being entertained to the point we leave everything up to everybody else.

[gromitt82]

The lesson I get also is that while others are running to buy the newest biggest screen TV to sit complacently and watch their favorite shows we should be living a Christian life not all wrapped up in being entertained to the point we leave everything up to everybody else.

Absolutely! And those of us who call ourselves Christians should rather be ashamed of our behaviour.