From carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life

1 DECEMBER (Lk 21,34-36)

It is truth. The Lord will come to judge all men. the day of our death will come to pass. All of us will appear before him. Our soul will be judged by Him on the basis of all the works done by it while it was in the body whether good or bad. Our works are all written in the book that is with the Lord.

“At that time there shall arise Michael, the great prince, guardian of your people; It shall be a time unsurpassed in distress since nations began until that time. At that time your people shall escape, everyone who is found written in the book. Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake; some shall live forever, others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace. But the wise shall shine brightly like the splendor of the firmament, And those who lead the many to justice shall be like the stars forever. “As for you, Daniel, keep secret the message and seal the book until the end time; many shall fall away and evil shall increase.” (Dn 12,1-4).

You have defied me in word, says the Lord, yet you ask, “What have we spoken against you?” You have said, “It is vain to serve God, and what do we profit by keeping his command, And going about in penitential dress in awe of the Lord of hosts? Rather must we call the proud blessed; for indeed evildoers prosper, and even tempt God with impunity.” Then they who fear the Lord spoke with one another, and the Lord listened attentively; And a record book was written before him of those who fear the Lord and trust in his name. And they shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, my own special possession, on the day I take action. And I will have compassion on them, as a man has compassion on his son who serves him. Then you will again see the distinction between the just and the wicked; Between him who serves God, and him who does not serve him. For lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven, when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble, And the day that is coming will set them on fire, leaving them neither root nor branch, says the Lord of hosts. But for you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays; And you will gambol like calves out of the stall 1) and tread down the wicked; They will become ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day I take action, says the Lord of hosts (Mal 3,13-21).

“To the angel of the church in Sardis, write this: ” ‘The one who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars says this: “I know your works, that you have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Be watchful and strengthen what is left, which is going to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember then how you accepted and heard; keep it, and repent. If you are not watchful, I will come like a thief, and you will never know at what hour I will come upon you. However, you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; they will walk with me dressed in white, because they are worthy.” ‘”The victor will thus be dressed in white, and I will never erase his name from the book of life but will acknowledge his name in the presence of my Father and of his angels. ” ‘”Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”‘ (Rev. 3,1-6).

Since no one knows the hour of his death and even that of the end of the world, who wants to have a favorable judgment must await with fear and trembling to his own salvation. He must live a life of obedience to the Word of the Gospel, steering clear of anything that is an obstacle to his holiness. These obstacles are presented by Jesus as dissipation, drunkenness and the worries of life. Whoever falls into these things precludes forever the way of his salvation. The risk is his eternal damnation.

“Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.”

These obstacles are won with the prayer, which is a request to God of all strength to be able to escape whatever is going to happen. Without unceasing, persistent, non-stop prayer it is easy to fall into dissipation, drunkenness and the troubles of life. These ills are for us more devastating than a hurricane, a tornado and a typhoon. Still more devastating than the universal deluge. They destroy the mind, heart, will and reduce our very body to dust. Today, think about the devastation of drugs.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints teach us how to pray.