“So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” – Matthew 24:44

Last December 21, 2012, the world should have ended — based on the Mayan calendar. Weeks before that day, media was full of speculation about the date. Some people had a countdown to December 21. Others prepared survival kits. Still, others refused to travel on that day. But the day came and passed. Nothing happened. And life goes on—till the next end-of-the-world speculation.

       We should not wait for the next end-of-the-world prophecy before we take stock of ourselves and change our ways. Scripture says that “now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2), so then today should also be the end of “our” world.

       We have to come to that place in our hearts where we realize that there is no one else we can turn to but Jesus, that there is no other hope for our future without Him, and that life could become even better with Him. Humility, repentance, new life.

       May we come to that realization each day. So that each day, new life begins inside each of us. Joy Sosoban-Roa (jsosoban@gmail.com)

Reflection: “He who created us without our help will not save us without our consent.” (St. Augustine)

Dear Lord, enable me to come to that dead end inside of me so that I will always turn to You for salvation. Give me new life, Lord!

St. Augustine, bishop and doctor of the Church, pray for us.

As we read Paul’s correspondence with the Corinthian community, it becomes obvious that he loved this community very much. Apart from spending a lengthy period of time with them on a number of occasions, he writes to them often, more times than the two nominal letters we have preserved in the Scriptures. Paul gives everything he has to the task at hand and holds nothing back so he could give what might benefit the faith of those whom he cares for.

1 Paul, called to be an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, 2 to the church of God that is in Corinth, to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy, with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I give thanks to my God always on your account for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in him you were enriched in every way, with all discourse and all knowledge, 6 as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you, 7 so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8 He will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

R: I will praise your name for ever, Lord.

2 Every day will I bless you, and I will praise your name forever and ever. 3 Great is the Lord and highly to be praised; his greatness is unsearchable. (R) 4 Generation after generation praises your works and proclaims your might. 5 They speak of the splendor of your glorious majesty and tell of your wondrous works. (R) 6 They discourse of the power of your terrible deeds and declare your greatness. 7 They publish the fame of your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your justice. (R)

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, one of its greatest theologians and philosophers. Many may not agree with all the nuances of Augustine’s thoughts but we must remember that like us, he is a man of his time. His greatness can be easily seen in that he, of all theologians, is quoted more often in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and also the Documents of Vatican II. He is the first to provide an extensive outline of authority and, if you read Aquinas, you will find Augustine ideas in most areas of Aquinas’ thoughts.

Stay awake! For you do not know when the Son of Man will come.

42 Jesus said to his disciples: “Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. 43 Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. 44 So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come. 45 Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household to distribute to them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so. 47 Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. 48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is long delayed,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with drunkards, 50 the servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour 51 and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”

think:  Like St. Paul, let us give everything we have to the task at hand and hold nothing back, so we could give what might benefit those whom we care for.

A TRULY GREAT SAINT AND THEOLOGIAN

Today we celebrate the feast day of St. Augustine, a truly great saint and theologian. As a young man, he was not known for his faith but for virtually the opposite. Whatever Augustine did, he did with gusto. And so, when he sinned, he did so greatly. He gave in to many of the sexual pleasures of his time and kept a mistress for many years. He even had at least one son that we know of. But when the time for his conversion came, he eventually surrendered himself and his enormous intellect to the grace of God. For me, he is probably the greatest of all the Church theologians as he is the first to really comment on all the various branches of theology in a systematic manner. He is the most quoted of all the saints in both the Prayer of the Church and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

       St. Augustine was baptized when he was 32 years old after arriving in Milan and being enraptured by the preaching of St. Anselm, the bishop of Milan at that time. A few years later, Augustine was ordained a priest. By virtue of public acclamation, he was ordained a bishop after a few years. And so began his long and distinguished service to the Church, fighting heresy and error. Some people today blame the over-zealous conscience of Augustine for the Church’s sometimes perceived negative view of human nature — its proneness to sin. However, I believe they do him an injustice.

       Augustine was a realist and, thus, not worried with speaking out the truth. He does so in a very frank manner in his autobiography — probably the first ever written — and anyone who wants to understand the spirituality of this man must begin with this epic work. It can be difficult reading at times but well worth the effort. I recommend that you read his Confessions and see that he is truly a man for whom the love of God comes above all other things. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

REFLECTION QUESTION: What in St. Augustine’s life do you find admirable?

Holy Spirit, help me to be inspired by St. Augustine’s love for God and his fellow men and women. Lead me in the path of conversion so that my life may inspire others to follow the Lord.