—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.”
Did you ever get the idea that Jesus is trying to bring us back to reality. In listening to these words, we hear Him telling us to avoid, to shun the things that are inconsequential to our salvation.
The salient point is that Jesus’ caution is accompanied by His promise and commitment to us.
Some have said that God doesn’t dabble in small matters, that falling off a curb or tripping over an obstacle is no concern of His. Yet Jesus told us the Father, who is Father of all, cares for us even in small matters. In Matthew 16 Jesus tells us:
Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they? … Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. … If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you
Latter, in Matthew 10 Jesus tells us that
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.
Yes, God does watch over us, in each step we take, in each thing we do. Our brother Jesus is ever at our side, ready to give us a little jolt, a nudge to reawaken us from our drowsiness. He is there to guide us back to the things that are really important.
Jesus speaks of end things today, things so awesome and fearful that He said, —People will die of fright.— He knows what awaits us, and He tells us that the best way to get to Him is to be awake and alert, to be active participants in His plan of salvation.
Jesus works at us consistently and constantly, stay awake, be ready, I will not let you sleep. You need to change, to grow, to mature in faith and in the life you are called to —“ not just life on earth, but eternal life.
Jesus tells us that the Father has the spectrum covered. From the smallest things in life to the greatest, He is there. In the end, He is there to let us know that regardless of the negatives we may encounter, the bad that may happen as a result of sin, He holds us in the palm of His hand.
The promise is great, yet we fall short in sin, in laziness, drowsiness, monotony, dissatisfaction with our family, our state in life, our Church. Therefore, we need a time, a time to re-commit to working out our salvation, as it is said, in fear and trembling.
That time is now. That time is Advent. Advent is about our answer to God’s care for us. It is about our preparation, a time of fasting, prayer, and re-commitment.
It’s funny, because the world has turned Advent upside-down. It has filled Advent with an intensified dose of the anxieties of daily life —“ the very thing our Lord warns us to avoid. The things that pull us away from our focus on God.
So place the world in perspective this Advent. Let us recommit, taking an inventory and putting the tools Jesus gave us to work in reforming, amending, and preparing our lives for Him.
Paul prays:
May the Lord make you increase and abound in love
for one another and for all,
just as we have for you,
so as to strengthen your hearts,
to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father
at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. Amen.
Paul’s prayer asks the Lord to grant us an abundance of love and a strengthening of our hearts. These gifts, along with the tools we have before us, the bulwark of the Holy Church, the sacraments, and prayer arm us for action. We have been armed for the day of Christ’s coming.
Isaiah prophesied about it:
The days are coming, says the LORD,
when I will fulfill the promise.
The days are indeed coming. Use this Advent to prepare yourselves, to strengthen yourselves, to re-arm yourselves so that Jesus’ words to us will come to fruition in our lives, so that we are prepared to:
stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand.
