GOSPEL READING:
Luke 21:34-3634 "But take heed to yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a snare; 35 for it will come upon all who dwell upon the face of the whole earth. 36 But watch at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of man."
Meditation: Is there anything holding you back from the
joy and freedom of the Lord? God wants our hearts for him and for
his kingdom of peace, joy, and righteousness (Romans 14:17). But
our hearts can be weighed down by many different things. Jesus,
our Lord and Master, offers us true freedom - freedom from the
power of sin and wasted life, and freedom from our unruly desires
and disordered passions - such as making food, drink or anything
else our master rather than our servant. Jesus wants our hearts to
be ruled by one thing only - his love and truth which enables us
to choose whatever is good and to reject whatever is evil and
harmful for us.
Be ready to meet the Lord today
Jesus also warns us of the temptation to slacken off - to become
spiritually idle, lazy, indifferent, or inattentive to God's
presence and his word and guidance for our lives. We can fall
asleep spiritually if we allow other things to distract us from
the reality of God and his kingdom. It is very easy to get caught
up in the things of the present moment or to be weighed down with
anxious cares and concerns. The Lord wants us to be ready at all
times to meet him - whether it be in our rising, eating, working,
or taking our rest. He comes to draw us to himself - are you alert
and attentive to his voice?
Speak your troubles to the Lord - he is listening
The Lord knows our struggles, weaknesses, and shortcomings. And he
assures us that we do not need to carry our burdens alone nor
struggle without his help. He is always very present and ready to
give us whatever strength, guidance, and help we need to fight
temptation and to stay the course which he has set for us. But
there is one thing he doesn't tolerate: indifference, an attitude
of not caring, and doing nothing! The Lord wants us to cast our
anxieties on him and to ask for his guidance and help. Do you pray
for God's strength and wisdom?
Until the Lord comes again we can expect troubles, trials, and
temptations. Our adversary the devil does not rest in his attempt
to lure us away from God's will for our lives. If he cannot
succeed in getting us to renounce our faith in Christ, he will
try, little by little, to distract us from pursuing God,
especially in prayer and listening to his word. Ask the Lord Jesus
to rekindle the fire of his love in you so that you will be ready
and eager to meet him when he comes again.
Lord Jesus, rouse my spirit to the truth that this world is passing away. Give me a lively faith, a joyful hope, and a fervent love to see you face to face when you return in glory.
Psalm 119:57-64
57 The LORD is my portion; I promise to keep your words.
58 I entreat your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise.
59 When I think of your ways, I turn my feet to your testimonies;
60 I hasten and do not delay to keep your commandments.
61 Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me, I do not forget your law.
62 At midnight I rise to praise you, because of your righteous ordinances.
63 I am a companion of all who fear you, of those who keep your precepts.
64 The earth, O LORD, is full of your steadfast love; teach me your statutes!
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: Drunkenness weakens both soul and body, by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD)
"'But take heed to yourselves lest your hearts
be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this
life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a snare.' You heard
the proclamation of the eternal King. You learned the deplorable
end of 'drunkenness' or 'intoxication' Imagine a skilled and wise
physician who would say, 'Beware, no one should drink too much
from this or that herb. If he does, he will suddenly be
destroyed.' I do not doubt that everyone would keep the
prescriptions of the physician's warning concerning his own
health. Now the Lord, who is both the physician of souls and
bodies, orders them to avoid as a deadly drink the herb 'of
drunkenness' and the vice 'of intoxication' and also the care of
worldly matters. I do not know if any one can say that he is not
wounded, because these things consume him.
"Drunkenness is therefore destructive in all
things. It is the only thing that weakens the soul together with
the body. According to the apostle, it can happen that when the
body 'is weak,' then the spirit is 'much stronger' (2 Corinthians
12:10), and when 'the exterior person is destroyed, the interior
person is renewed' (2 Corinthians 4:16). In the illness of
drunkenness, the body and the soul are destroyed at the same time.
The spirit is corrupted equally with the flesh. All the members
are weakened: the feet and the hands. The tongue is loosened.
Darkness covers the eyes. Forgetfulness covers the mind so that
one does not know himself nor does he perceive he is a person.
Drunkenness of the body has that shamefulness." (excerpt
from HOMILIES ON LEVITICUS 7.5-6)
