Digitally vigilant but spiritually lax

 

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

ONE of the biggest illusions of modern life is that everything important comes with a notification. Meetings appear on calendars. Flights send reminders. Bills trigger alerts. Even birthdays pop up automatically. We have become so dependent on warnings that we assume life itself will always give us advance notice. Jesus says otherwise.

In Luke 12:35-38, he paints a vivid picture: servants dressed for work, lamps burning, eyes fixed on the door, waiting for their master to return from a wedding feast. They do not know the hour. They simply remain ready. And then comes the astonishing promise. When the master finds them awake and faithful, he himself will seat them at table and serve them.

That reversal changes everything. The Lord whom we serve delights in serving those who have remained loyal to him. Divine authority is expressed not in domination but in self-giving love. The reward for fidelity is not merely admission into heaven but intimate communion with the One who came "not to be served but to serve."

Readiness, therefore, is not anxiety. It is love that refuses to fall asleep. Too many people imagine holiness as preparing for death at the last minute, as though eternity could be handled like cramming for an examination. The Gospel rejects that mentality. Readiness is not a final sprint but a daily way of living. Every ordinary task becomes part of our preparation to meet Christ.

That is why the Lord speaks of lamps. A lamp that is never refilled eventually burns out. So does the Christian who neglects prayer, the sacraments, acts of charity, and the constant struggle against selfishness. Faith cannot survive on yesterday's oil.

This warning lands squarely in today's culture. We stay awake until two in the morning binge-watching an entire television series, yet struggle to give God ten quiet minutes in prayer. 

We instantly respond to every notification on our phones but repeatedly ignore the gentle promptings of conscience. We anxiously refresh stock prices, sports scores, and social media feeds while forgetting to examine whether our own soul is growing closer to God.

Our gadgets are fully charged. Our spirits often run on one percent battery. Even in the Philippines, where religious devotion remains strong, the temptation is real. Churches fill during major feasts and Holy Week, yet honesty in business, integrity in public office, and charity in everyday relationships often lag behind. Public expressions of faith mean little if the lamp of daily conversion has quietly gone out.

The Gospel calls for consistency. The Christian does not wear discipleship like formal clothes reserved for Sundays or fiestas. Readiness is woven into every decision, every conversation, every responsibility. We remain alert because every moment offers another opportunity to love God and our neighbor.

There is another surprise in Christ's words. The servants are waiting, but the master is actually looking for them. Heaven is not indifferent to our struggle. God eagerly seeks hearts that remain faithful amid distractions, temptations, disappointments, and delays. He never overlooks hidden acts of goodness that the world ignores.

The happiest people, then, are not those who have everything under control but those who are always available to God. Their schedules may be interrupted, their plans may change, and their future may be uncertain, but their hearts remain prepared.

Life gives no final reminder before eternity arrives. Christ does not ask us to predict when he will come. Let’s just keep the lamp burning. Keep the heart awake. One day the door will open, and the Master we have long awaited will surprise us with the greatest joy of all—he will invite us to his table and serve us with the everlasting love that never sleeps.