SSVP Reflection - January 2026

As we rest in prayer and reflection in 2026, ponder where God may be inviting us to trust and let go. Or simply to “Stay awake” to heed Jesus’ command “for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

Dear friends, let this be our 2026 Resolution! Why? Because across the Gospel, Jesus repeatedly gives this command to “stay awake” (or watch/pray/be alert) around 7-10 times. Here are some notable texts:

● In the Gospel of Mark 13:33-37 Jesus advises His followers to “stay awake” because they do not know when the master of the house will return, urging them to be ready for his sudden arrival.

● In the Gospel of Matthew 26:36-40. During His agony in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus tells Peter and the other disciples to “stay awake and pray for strength against temptation” because “their spirit is willing but their flesh is weak.”

● In the Gospel of Luke 21:36 Jesus also tells His followers to “stay awake” at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.

The key question is how does Jesus’ command “stay awake” sit with us? Are we like some who just take note and carry on our lives unchanged? Or we take this command seriously and make it as a faith moment a time to pray for the grace to look into our hearts and actions in these areas:

1. Have we strayed from the Gospel path?

2. Who is it that we seek? And so on. Remember this - Jesus’ pointed warning (Mt 7:21) “Not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord, will enter the Kingdom of heaven”.

However, “staying awake” is not about simple fixes. It’s a life long effort and struggle. There will be many times we succeed doing it and there will also be many times we lapsed as we yield to temptations. But no worries so long as we make a generous effort to overcome our obstacles, God knows and will give us the strength to continue trying and succeed to stand ready when He comes.

Surely, most of us will have some ideas on how to “stay awake”. This sharing is to provide some more possible ideas or ways to consider.

1. When we rise in the morning, pray as an act of faith asking the Risen Lord to bless our rising and our going forth of the day. Beg for an awareness of the joyful moments and challenging moments and the “little Easters” of that day. So that we can deepen our connection to God and to one another.

And before we close our eyes for a night’s sleep, do an Examen and recall the day’s hope, joy, peace, delight and the God moment. And pray for the grace of God’s re-entry into our lives.

2. Daily we should take time to read and to pray a scripture passage keeping us aware of how the Lord keeps on being the fullness of life for us.

3. We must regulate our lives in accordance with His teachings. Some of Jesus’s teachings are:

● Humility. (Phil 2: 6-8) Who, being in the very nature God, did not consider equality with God….He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant… Humility is the gateway to grace.
● Love. Jesus was love and He modeled Love. Love is the number one command from Christ. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others…..
● Relationships. Jesus was relational. He was relational because He loved people. In Mt 9: 10-11, when Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with Him and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked: “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
● Gratitude. Gratitude draws us close to God. Jesus shows it in Jn 11: 41. After they took away the stone. Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.” And in Jn 6:11 “Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.” Jesus was quick to thank His Father for answered prayer. Nothing is more repelling than an ungrateful soul, and nothing is more attractive than an attitude of gratitude.
● Generosity. Jesus was generous with His power and influence. He informed the disciples and all who would believe that they would do even greater works than He had accomplished. Greater works were immediately experienced, with thousands at Pentecost from all tongues and tribes receiving God’s grace through faith in Christ. Jn (14:12-24). Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father… Today Jesus’ gift is still giving in transformed lives.

There are other attributes of Jesus we can follow - forgiveness, faithfulness.

Last but not least, what we can try to do in our daily lives is to walk in God’s presence and a good means of walking in God’s presence is to picture our Lord as present with us wherever we may happen to be.

Key questions to reflect :
1. Read Col 3: 5-15. What specific areas of sin is God calling you to put away? How can you actively put on the “new self”?

2. In what ways are you being diligent to grow in spiritual development? In what ways are you being passive?

From SSVP Faith Formation and Development Team ... See MoreSee Less