Keeping awake, staying in the present moment can be a challenge for us, in so many ways. We are not fully present to what is going on around us in the moment, thinking instead of what has happened in the past, or what will come in the future... even if it's just a few minutes in the future. We are not awake to the present moment... we are not awake to the people and the world around us. When we are not awake, we do not see the things that are happening, do not understand the meaning of events, or of the words that are spoken to us. They are disconnected from our reality, because we are disconnected from our reality.
In today's Gospel reading (Mark 13:24-37), Jesus tells his followers to "keep awake". That doesn't mean that they can't sleep at night! It means that they need to be awake and attentive to what is happening around them. Be aware... be awake... Pay attention!! As well... being awake means doing something about what we see, moving awareness into action. We are not procrastinators... we are people of action. Whether it is in our words or in our actions... We can't just sit at home and profess our beliefs. We need to put our beliefs into action - makign a difference in the world. Living out our vocation of "awakeners"...
Many of us move through live as sleep-walkers... thinking that we are living, when we are really just going through the motions, often unaware and unawake to what we are and what is going on around us... So... wake up!!! And stay awake!
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