GOSPEL MESSAGE & RECORDING
In the Eastern traditions, particularly those in the Middle East and India, men in the past would wear a skirt-like robe. The idea of trousers came later. In the time of Jesus, men wore these types of long robes that went all the way down, leaving a little bit of room from the ground. Men had some sort of belt, not in the modern sense, but rather a cloth tied around the waist and knotted.
In the Gospel reading today we hear Jesus saying, “Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning.” This is said in the context of a “servant” being ready when his “master” returns. Before he went on a long trip the master instructed his servant to be diligent in his work and to be found doing so when he returned. The waist being girded is another way of saying, “be ready” because when the men worked in the fields or on the farm they would pick up the bottom of their robes, which essentially is a skirt, and wrap it around their waist. This meant they were ready to work. Spiritually speaking, Jesus is telling us to be ready spiritually at all times so that we can avoid falling into sin.
In the modern context, there is no skirt-robe for men. We have pants and almost always a belt, which for the most part is not used to keep the pants from falling down. Most men wear pants that fit them well, but not too well. A little room is left over which is tightened up using a belt. So, in the modern context, “let your waist be girded” means, “tighten your belt.”
Spiritually speaking most of us have struggles and situations in life that we deal with that are not in the category of “five-alarm emergency.” Meaning, we live life with challenges here and there, but for the most part, those extreme situations are few and far between. Most of us are always in the process of “tightening” up certain areas of our spiritual life. What are the areas of your life that you need to tighten up?
We might not have a major problem with anger, lust, jealousy, or other sins. In other words, our sin problem is not near the level of addiction. It’s not taking over our lives. However, sin is there. It comes up every now and then but it is not hindering our progress. Or at least that is what we think! These are areas that we need to tighten up so that the minor problem doesn’t become a major problem. For example, a balloon that is initially filled with helium flies high and does not have elasticity—it is nice and tight. But as the days go by air slowly comes out. Air is not released all at once but gradually. Eventually, the balloon deflates and shrivels up. This is the same for our spiritual life. We think we have it together and that we are fine, but in reality, we are slowly losing control over certain areas of our life because we are not tightening our “spiritual belt.” For example, we might feel there is nothing wrong with getting angry every now and then. Or what’s wrong with a little bit of lust here and there, as long as no one knows. A little bit here and there will eventually become a big mess. Slowly but surely, like the helium balloon, we will become deflated and shriveled up.
In marriage, you might have those moments of anger and discontent, but don’t let that linger for too long. Forgive, makeup, and move on. It might not be considered a “big deal,” but when we ignore the minor problems rather than tightening up it could lead to serious issues later on in the marriage. This is the same for other sins as well. For instance, thoughts of lust or watching inappropriate content might not seem serious, but when compounded over time what started out as a minor issue could become a major problem. Those issues that were minor should have been tightened-up early on through prayer and fast, so as to avoid the major problem. The same idea can be applied to any other sin you face. The point is tighten-up the areas of your life in which you are slowly releasing air. Don’t give room for the enemy to find a foothold in your life. If we give the enemy an inch he will take a mile.
This idea can also be applied to real-life situations. For example, if we start becoming lazy at work and begin cutting corners here and there, eventually it will add up. It could jeopardize our job. Similarly, when we deal with our finances, most of us are not frivolous. However, we might be spending a little here and little there. Controlling how we spend might not be about the bigger purchases but about the smaller day-to-day purchases that add up, eventually leading us into financial ruin. If we can tighten-up those spending habits, our finances will improve.