Mark 13:33-37
Gospel according to Mark 13:33-37
Jesus said to his disciples: “Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come.” “It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with a particular task, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”
Reflections
Advent means coming. This week, the first week of Advent, we prepare for Christmas, when we celebrate the birth of Christ. This historical event took place over two thousand years ago. It honors a point in history where divine mercy and grace entered a frail world full of suffering and misery. The same Christ will return, according to His promise, at the end of times. Thus, today’s reading starts with the exhortation to “Beware, keep alert.”
Jesus compares God to an owner of a house who before going away, makes all the preparations to keep the house safe. The precautions include entrusting his servants with various duties to be carried out and putting a guard at the door to keep thieves and intruders out. The master may return at any time of the day, the early hours of the night, at midnight, before dawn or early in the morning, and he wants the servants to be found awake and doing their duties.
“Beware, keep alert,” says Jesus. What he means is that the opportunities are finite, and the days are numbered. Each and every day has its opportunities that may not be there the following day. Each and every hour has its own task that may change the next. A person who is alert can be attentive to the meaning possibilities and can actualize them when they arise.
What are meaning-possibilities?
Meaning possibilities are values that stand in relation to a person in every situation. When we actualize meaning, we actualize the value that we recognize through our conscience as standing in relation to us. Take for example the value of care. We might be in a situation where we need to find creative ways to take care of our health. In this instance, we actualized the value of care through putting our intentions into a concrete action plan. Thus, we actualized care through creative values.
We may be in a situation whereby we require care from others. We experience the value of care through a respectful and friendly way of relating that lifts us up. In this instance we evidenced the value of care, actualized through experiential values. The same experiential values are actualized in case if we reach out to someone and offer a helping hand.
We may be in a situation where the duties of everyday life seem boring and uninspiring. We may take heart in changing our inner stand to perform each task with more attention, with more kindness, or more love. In this instance, we actualized the value of care in mundane tasks through a freely chosen inner stand.
Advent is a time of preparation. The next four weeks are special because they offer a time for reflection, discernment, and action to intentionally shape our lives to be harmonious.