PanDASALan - Memorial of Saint Augustine - August 28, 2014. Restless Heart Today, we are celebrating the feast of Saint Augustine of Hippo. Saint Augustine was unsettled and always searching for the truth, until he was converted to the faith through the ceaseless prayer of her mother, Sait Monica and baptized by Saint Ambrose of Milan. Saint Augustine became a bishop, guiding his flock in finding the truth and fighting the errors of his time; he explained the faith carefully through his writings. What does Jesus parable of the thief in the night teach us about Gods kingdom? If you knew that a thief was prowling about and trying to strike your home and threaten your life, wouldnt you seek to protect yourself from harms way? Jesus parable of the thief in the night brings home the necessity for watchfulness and being on guard to avert the danger of plunder and destruction, especially under the cover of darkness and secrecy! While no thief would announce his intention in advance, nor the time when he would strike, lack of vigilance would nonetheless invite disaster for those who are unprepared to keep their treasure and their lives secure at all times! The intruder strikes when he is least expected! Our adversary the devil seeks to rob us of the treasure which the Lord freely offers us. What is the treasure which the Lord Jesus wants us to guard lest we lose it? It is the treasure of a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus himself - who is our greatest gift and portion in this life. The Scriptures remind us that there is no greater treasure on earth or in heaven than the Lord himself. The Lord Jesus chooses to come and dwell in our hearts through the gift and working of his Holy Spirit. He knocks at the door of our heart and invites us to let him enter (Revelation 3:21). Are you ready to meet the Lord - each and every day? Jesus ends his teaching on watchfulness and vigilance with another parable about a master and his servants (Matthew 24:.45-49). The storyline is similar. There is an element of surprise - the master suddenly returns home unexpectedly, probably from a long journey. He rewards the dutiful servant for his faithfulness to his master. He has performed his service with diligence and has done all that the master required of him. The master punishes the other servant who behaved wickedly. This servant was not only irresponsible - he was frequently absent from work and spent his masters money by throwing endless parties with his friends. The wicked servant also abused his fellow workers with physical force and violence - probably to make them do the work he was supposed to do for his master. The master not only throws him out of his house, he fires him from his job! He also throws him into the worst possible place - a prison of no return where there is nothing but torment and misery. Should we be surprised to see the master acting with such swift judgment? After all he is only giving back what they have given to him. The master rewards the faithful servant with honor, promotion, and friendship, and he punishes the unfaithful servant - who stole from his master and used his position to abuse others - by removing him from his position of trust with the master and by throwing him into prison for robbing the master and mistreating his fellow servants. The Lord has entrusted each of us with his gifts and grace - the grace to love God with faithfulness, trust, and obedience - and the grace to love our neighbor as our self. Do you love faithfulness? The Lord Jesus calls us to be vigilant in watching for his return and to be ready to meet him when he calls us to himself. The Lord gives us his Holy Spirit so that we may have the wisdom, help, and strength we need to turn away from sin to embrace Gods way of love, justice, and holiness. The Lords warning of judgment causes dismay for those who are unprepared, but it brings joyful hope to those who eagerly wait for his return in glory. Gods judgment is good news for those who are ready to meet him. Their reward is God himself, the source of all truth, beauty, goodness, love and everlasting life. Being vigilant also means watching our relationship with others. As humans we are always searching for the truth and we are always searching for answers to lifes most imporant questions. Saint Augustine had a beautiful quote in his prayer to God: My heart is restless until it rests in You. Only God can we find true rest and He is the answer to lifes most easy and difficult situations. God bless!
Posted on: Thu, 28 Aug 2014 15:38:20 +0000
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