*My TWO CENTS WORTH for the Gospel reading of Saturday (29 Nov 2014)/34th Week of the Ordinary Time of the Year > Luke 21:34-36 VIGILANCE and PRAYER (v36), Jesus exhortation and strong reminder for all of us, form a forceful tandem as antidote to the hearts drowsiness from carousing, drunkenness and anxieties (v34). When and how does the heart get drowsy? When it is so tired because of too much enjoyment of the worldly affairs (= carousing and drunkenness), whenever it is stressed out because of doing so many works and tasks - physical and mental (= anxiety in its many forms), and every time it forgets God. Prayer puts the heart always in remembrance of God. Through prayer we are constantly set before the presence of God, and are enabled to choose what is better and worth doing and working for. If prayer is our priority, then we learn how to prioritize. That is why we are told to pray before, during and after the days activity for continued guidance and strength. Because if we remember God, He surely will remember us and continue to bless us with peaceful hearts and minds. Vigilance, on the other hand, allows us to keep focused on prayer, so that our minds will not stray and gallivant. It connotes being earnest, being single-minded and being strong-willed. Apart from being a resistance against sleepiness, it gives prayer its unique value and character: preparedness and alertness. That is why one does not, cannot, must not, should not and ought not sleep while praying. As one funny quip goes, It is not good to sleep while praying, but it is praiseworthy to pray while sleeping. So, whenever there are times we cannot really get to sleep because our hearts are wandering and we are restlessly filled with so many things cropping up in our minds, why not say a little prayer instead? Who knows that prayer could put you to sleep. Now, this sounds like a joke, but at least somehow, we can tame our restlessness by turning sleeplessness into vigilance and wastefulness into prayer!
Posted on: Fri, 28 Nov 2014 09:32:08 +0000
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