Jesus’ command to “stay awake” isn’t just about waiting for His final coming. Joe Laughlin, SJ, reflects on cultivating the attentiveness to recognize God when he appears in places we weren’t expecting. Based on the readings for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time.
“Stay awake, for you do not know the day nor the hour.”
If I’m eating a cheeseburger, it HAS to have yellow mustard on it. I’m the kind of guy who knows what I like and what I don’t like. I like running. I don’t like watching baseball. I love coffee. I don’t care for cannoli.
The trouble is, I can start treating God the same way.
I expect him to show up in the things I already like, the liturgy that suits my fancy, my inner circle of loved ones, the plans I already made.
But Jesus says, “Stay awake.”
Why? Because God often comes at times I don’t expect. He comes in the interruption. In the person I unconsciously (or consciously) avoid. In the hard conversation. In the thing I’m always complaining about. In the cross I never would have picked.
If I’m only looking for God where I want him to be, I may miss him when he actually comes.
So today, stay awake! God might just show up in your peripheral vision.