Saturday of week 34 in Ordinary Time
or Saturday memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Gospel – Luke 21:34-36
“Stay awake, praying at all times for the strength to survive all that is going to happen, and to stand with confidence before the Son of Man.” Staying awake is being out of yourself and not closing yourself inside your comforts. Along with staying awake, Jesus adds praying. That means, you come out of yourself to be in union with God. The two steps in the process are important. The coming out of oneself and then relating to God. One is more challenging than the other. That is why Jesus is saying, “Watch yourselves, or your hearts will be coarsened with debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life,”. Our selfishness always pushes us to remain inside ourselves, inside our desires, our pleasures, our interests… From there we must come out. Then we must relate to God. Here also there is the challenge to relate to God and not to any easy substitutes. There are lots of substitutes available which will give you the place of God. Watch yourselves! Let’s reflect: Is my prayer time, a time to come out of my comforts and to relate to Jesus crucified and risen?