November 27, 2004
Saturday of the Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Father Edward Hopkins, LC

Luke 21: 34-36
Jesus said to his disciples: "Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man."

Introductory Prayer:Lord Jesus, I believe that you have called me to fight for your Kingdom. You speak to me and guide me in the sanctuary of my heart, in the depths of my conscience. I trust that you will show me where to wage the battle and give me the strength to keep trying, despite failures and setbacks. I love you Lord, because you have given me all yourself on the cross. Lead me down this path of self-sacrifice and love.

Petition:Lord, grant me the grace of a militant, persevering heart to fight for the Kingdom.

1. Drowsy Hearts. What does it mean for our hearts to become drowsy? The cause of this drowsiness is an “escapist” lifestyle. We were created to live life and to live it to the full. A full Christian life is a life of self-giving and sacrifice for love. This is what our heart was made to do, give itself for others. Sin and the deviations of disordered living corrupt and frustrate the heart’s action. Instead of giving to others, it begins to turn in on itself. A cycle of selfishness robs the heart of healthy renewal; giving to myself leads to stagnation. Finally, we lose the ability, or at least the facility, to love. A drowsy heart is old and tired, grown insensitive to love and lies isolated in its own self-satisfaction. God is no longer at the center of a drowsy heart, nor will such a heart reach out to God when the moment of tribulation comes. This is the heart whose life of faith and love has been suffocated by the thorns and brambles of worldly cares. The frightening fact is that a heart does not become drowsy overnight; rather a slow process of self-seeking leads to the final heart attack. How awake is my heart?

2. The Assault of That Day. What will “that day” be like for me? It can come suddenly, like a fatal accident or slowly like a terminal disease. But “that day,” which ends life here, comes for each and every one of us, despite our efforts to ignore or escape it. It is a violent and powerful assault, one that tries to rip from us life and love. Yet, that assault occurs every day as the world tries to absorb our attention, fog our memory of who loves us authentically and unconditionally, and entice us to love ourselves to the exclusion of all other loves. When extreme suffering and difficulties reach our lives, we hold on to what is most rooted in us. If that is something temporal or our own selves, we are lost. We have nothing to really hold on to; death rips it away. If we hold on to what is most noble and supernaturally beyond us, then not even death can take it away. We are secure in love, for love is stronger even than death. No one can presume to be strong enough to handle the greatest trials of life and death. We are given a lifetime to prepare our hearts well. What am I doing to prepare now for “that day”?

3. Standing before the Lord. In the end, we have but one hope, to stand before the Lord. Those who are not ready will flee before the Lord. The Final Judgment will bring us before the Lord. No excuses, no loop holes, no second chances will be found. We will know––our own conscience will accuse us––if we are worthy to stand before him. Those who have placed their trust in him and have sincerely confided in his forgiveness––accusing themselves in this life––, those who have fought to follow him and love him will stand upright before the Lord. They will stand, not because they are perfect but because they have fought the good fight for him, never giving up, and are proud to have done so. Will I be found standing? How well do I try to stand before the Lord each night, after even the worst falls?

Dialogue with Christ: Lord Jesus, awaken my heart to your friendship and the challenges of bringing your Kingdom to other hearts. Help me to fight each day to be faithful and overcome the temptations to selfishness and discouragement. Where am I failing to fight or compromising my faith? Keep me from self-deception. Teach me to grow deep roots of virtue that will stand the test of trial and suffering. Purify and form my conscience so that I can stand before you each day with confidence, confident in your grace rather than in my strength.

Resolution: I will place myself deliberately and consciously before the Lord as I begin my nightly conscience examen.

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