Kulandai Albert csc –
Readings: Rev 22:1-7; Lk 21:34-36
Today the liturgy of the word invites us to introspect oneself in the light of self-destructive tendencies. The first reading speaks about the River of Life. I attribute this River of Life to Jesus. Jesus is the true-life giving River with whom all have life in abundance. This reading also speaks about the second coming of Jesus.
The Gospel reading is about the exhortation of watch. Here, Jesus is talking about watchfulness, alertness and being ready to encounter Him at any moment. We are habituated to see and look at others. We collect enough information about others for gossip. We waste a lot of time on these kinds of things.
Therefore, at this hour the Lord is inviting us to watch ourselves instead of looking at others. He invites us to introspect these kinds of self-destructive tendencies. If we do not keep a check on ourselves. Then we fail to see the positive side of ourselves. Naturally our inclinations
are destructive.
Therefore, we need to watch ourselves in reference to our movement towards God and our movement towards the Devil. We need to watch what we think, watch how we behave, and watch what we say. Do we see ourselves growing in virtue or vice? In the gospel Jesus says, be alert and pray that you may have the strength. Therefore, watching is not sufficient, we need to have the desire to grow away from sin and grow towards holiness. It is possible only through prayer.
Let us seek God in holiness with fervent prayer and in good deeds.