Good morning good people may the Lord give you grace, peace and health in the Holy Spirit.
It is 25th August 2022. We celebrate the memorials of St. Louis (patron of Secular Franciscans) and Saint Joseph of Calasanz, priest (patron of Catholic Schools). We reflect on 1 Cor 1:1-9 and Matthew 24:42-51.
“Do not feel surprised at being schooled amid toil: you are being schooled for a wondrous destiny,” teaches St. Augustine.
A man who had lost a leg in an accident and when he discovered what had happened, he said to his friends around him, “Thank God, it was the leg with arthritis.” Another classical example of optimism is that the seventy-year-old couples who bought some real estate and took out a thirty-year loan. That is sheer optimism even amidst loss, pain, and suffering.
The readings invite us to be optimistic and stay awake. To stay awake means to be filled with hope. The readings suggest that without panic, and anxiety, we need to look forward in hope as we eagerly wait for the Lord to return. Optimism empowers us to live as faithful and wise servants.
To be optimistic means to see Jesus as Lord for all people as St. Paul describes, “both their Lord and ours.” St. Paul was an optimist. Even when he knew about the lives of the people of Corinth, he placed his trust in the grace of God.
When we lack optimism, we begin a journey of annihilating ourselves by abusing people around us for our own pleasure, growth, and fame.
Our willingness to be formed by the Lord is the optimism we all need to develop to be alert. “Keep awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.”
Am I living a life that is dull, dispirited, discouraged, and depressed? May the Lord help us to be optimistic and always stay alert. May God bless you.