The Gospel of Luke, chapter 12:40

Today’s Gospel story talks about the need to be on guard or watchful so that when the Lord calls us we will be worthy and ready. It sounds like a simple message, and so it is. We must be on our guard lest we succumb to temptation in life. We must be on guard constantly in order to avoid the subtle pitfalls on our journey through life.

About two weeks ago I wrote concerning prayer. A person who cultivates a habit of prayer will be always on guard because prayer is a habit of mind that enables us to appreciate and to do God’s will.

I would suggest that the best way to be on guard always is to pray always. This means discovering what God wants of us, rising above temptations and pettiness, and living according to the standards of the gospel. To be on guard always means examining the pattern of our lives in relationship to the pattern of Christ’s life and trying to approximate that ideal. To be on guard always means reaching out to other people, no matter who they are and inspiring them to greater things. To be on guard always means appraising oneself critically and not giving in to our lower nature; it also means appraising other people critically and not giving in to their lower nature.

In the gospel, Jesus tells us that we must be “as innocent as doves and as wise as serpents.” Innocence is not the same as ignorance or lack of knowledge. Innocence is purity of heart, openness to the truth and the willingness to follow it. An innocent person is like a dove, as Jesus explains. But, it is precisely because of the insight that an innocent person possesses that he or she can match the wisdom of the serpent.

We will always be on guard or watchful if we have Jesus on our side: if we follow His courageous path of innocence and avoid the wiles and corruption of the world around us.

“The Son of Man will come at an hour when you least expect Him.”
Be on guard.

Fr. Hugh Duffy

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