Thursday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
There is an interesting dialogue around memory in our Scriptures. Often, in the Psalms, the community begs the Lord to remember his mercies, his promises, or his covenants and come to the aid of his people (Psalms 25). In the prophets and historical books, the Lord's action to save his people is stirred into action by the remembrance of his covenant with his people. In the New Testament, Mary, in her Magnificat, praises God for having remembered his promise and thus to act through her and with her to bring into life Jesus Christ. Our God is ever faithful and does not forget his people.
In today's Gospel, Christ challenges his followers to remember as well. Jesus says that his followers must "stay awake." One of the ways we Christians can "stay awake" is to remember that Christ has died, Christ is risen, and Christ will come again. Christ has given himself for us, Christ is alive and reigns in heaven now, and Christ will return to earth to judge the living and the dead. Christ asks us to never forget this reality of his gift, his reign, and his return. When we forget this, we risk failing to be vigilant in our prayer, moral life, and acts of charity towards others. We risk falling asleep in our spiritual lives. Let us pray for the grace to throw off complacency in any areas of our life that need reinvigoration with the Love of Christ so that we might be good stewards of the gift of life we have from God.