Saint Monica
Thursday of week 21 in Ordinary Time
Gospel: Matthew 24:42-51In today’s Gospel, Jesus calls us to “stay awake,” not in fear of His coming but in faithful perseverance. The good servant continues doing what the master has entrusted to him even when the master seems delayed; the unfaithful servant gives up because he thinks, “My master is taking his time.” The same temptation can enter our relationships and our spiritual life: when prayer seems unanswered, when another person does not change, when our sacrifices appear fruitless, or when love is not returned, we may wonder whether it is worth continuing. Yet love has no reason to give up when it is rooted in God. Saint Monica is a beautiful witness to such vigilant love. For years she prayed, hoped, wept, and persevered for her son Augustine without seeing the fruit she desired. Her love remained faithful through disappointment because her hope was ultimately placed in God. Eventually, grace accomplished far more than she could have imagined. To “stay awake” therefore means to keep loving, praying, serving, forgiving, and hoping even when results are delayed. Christian love does not measure its fidelity by immediate success; it remains faithful because God is faithful. When love becomes difficult, the Gospel invites us not to abandon it but to entrust it more deeply to the Lord, confident that no act of genuine love offered to Him is ever wasted. Let’s reflect: When my love, prayer, or sacrifice seems to bear no immediate fruit, do I give up, or do I continue faithfully, trusting that God can bring His grace from my perseverance?
Don Giorgio