Daily Retreat 08/30/07
2007 Aug 30 Thu
1 Thes 3:7-13/ Ps 89(90):3-5a. 12-13. 14 and 17/ Mt 24:42-51
From today’s readings: “May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all.... Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!... Stay awake, for you do not know on which day your Lord will come....”
Lulled into Complacency
Complacency is one of the most insidious temptations that you and I can fall into. How easy it is to decide, “Well, I may not be perfect, but I’ve more or less got my act together, especially in comparison to other people I know!” Granted, we might not be that explicit about our sense of self-satisfaction, but when we’re honest with ourselves, you and I will often be surprised to realize how often a certain sense of smugness has crept into our lives.
St. Paul was the master of giving people a nice “pat on the back” while encouraging them to keep striving for improvement. In his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul is filled with thanksgiving, joy, and reassurance for the Thessalonians faithfulness - evidently, the young Church in Thessalonika wasn’t doing too bad! Yet Paul also warns against complacency, gently pointing out certain “deficiencies of faith,” and praying that the Lord help his friends “INCREASE and abound in love...” Jesus too, commands us to not be lulled into complacency, but rather, “Stay awake!”
1 Thes 3:7-13/ Ps 89(90):3-5a. 12-13. 14 and 17/ Mt 24:42-51
From today’s readings: “May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all.... Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!... Stay awake, for you do not know on which day your Lord will come....”
Lulled into Complacency
Complacency is one of the most insidious temptations that you and I can fall into. How easy it is to decide, “Well, I may not be perfect, but I’ve more or less got my act together, especially in comparison to other people I know!” Granted, we might not be that explicit about our sense of self-satisfaction, but when we’re honest with ourselves, you and I will often be surprised to realize how often a certain sense of smugness has crept into our lives.
St. Paul was the master of giving people a nice “pat on the back” while encouraging them to keep striving for improvement. In his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul is filled with thanksgiving, joy, and reassurance for the Thessalonians faithfulness - evidently, the young Church in Thessalonika wasn’t doing too bad! Yet Paul also warns against complacency, gently pointing out certain “deficiencies of faith,” and praying that the Lord help his friends “INCREASE and abound in love...” Jesus too, commands us to not be lulled into complacency, but rather, “Stay awake!”
posted by FrPitstick | 8/29/2007
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