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1st Sunday of Advent
Cycle C
December 2, 2012 9:30 and 11am
Saint Margaret Parish, Bel Air
3 Habits for Advent
I imagine
that most of us have heard of the book The
7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
Steven
Covey wrote this back in 1989 and it has been a national bestseller. Just recently, I heard a corporate
psychologist refer to this as a classic in helping business people become more effective.
Actually,
Covey’s insights can help just about anyone in any walk of life. He cites seven habits as crucial in our being
effective and the first three of these deal with our inner dispositions.
Covey says
that highly effective people are, first of all, proactive. Second, they live with the end in mind.
And
third, they put first things first. It
strikes me that these three habits express well what today’s Advent readings are
saying.
1. Be Proactive
First,
Covey says that highly effective people are proactive.
They
take the initiative. For example, in the
business world, the merger of one bank with another might be a proactive way to
grow and to offer services more efficiently.
In
today’s second reading, Saint Paul expresses his pleasure with the way the
people are living the faith. But, he
wants them to do even more, to be proactive as persons of faith.
For us,
this may mean that we pray not just when we need something or feel overwhelmed
by a situation. Instead, being proactive
means that we pray every day so that we have a real inner communion with the
Lord.
2. Live with the End in Mind
Then second,
Steven Covey says that highly effective people live with the end in mind.
They are
goal-oriented. For example, in the
business world, McDonald’s has a goal of a high market share and so they are
always trying new things like salads and specialty coffees.
In today’s gospel,
Jesus speaks of omens in the universe and disasters that will threaten us. These words are not to be taken literally but
rather as more of a scare tactic to get us to live with the end in mind.
For us, this may
mean that we not get swallowed up in the rush of day-to-day living or in the
consumer culture of just having to get the latest iPhone or whatever it is. Instead, living with the end in mind means
that we stay aware that someday there will be an accounting of our life to God and
that our eternal status will to a great extent depend not on what we have, but
on how well we have lived.
3. Put First Things First
And third, Covey says that highly effective people put first things
first.
They live with a sense of priorities.
For example, in the business world, there are car dealerships that know
that quality service and repair is crucial, and they make this a priority in
their entire operation.
The theme in all of the Scripture passages today is to live whatever my
vocation or state-of-life is in the way God wants me to live it. We are to make this our priority above anything
else.
For us, this may mean that if you are a parent, you give priority to your
husband or wife and children. Putting
first things first may mean that you make sure you all have dinner together as
many evenings as possible, because it is right there in those minutes eating
together that the most valuable communication usually happens.
Conclusion
So, I am saying that these three habits really express what Advent
invites us to do.
And, all three of these habits are connected. If I am proactive but don’t have the end in
mind, I will probably be going in many directions.
If I have the end in mind but am not proactive, I will be going nowhere. And if I have both of those habits but don’t
put first things first, I will easily get caught up in unimportant things.
We need all three habits to be highly effective as disciples of Jesus. We need all three habits to grow spiritually
and be close to the Lord.
