1st
Sunday of Advent
Cycle C
November 29, 2015 8:00am and 5:00pm
Saint Margaret Parish, Bel Air
Be Vigilant
I am
taken by just two words in today’s gospel: “Be
vigilant.”
In this
passage, Jesus uses some frightening imagery.
There will be signs in the stars, nations in dismay, tribulations, and
people dying.
These
images are a literary style of Jesus’ day and they are not intended to make us afraid
or fearful. Instead, to use Jesus’
words, he wants us to “be vigilant.”
My
reflection on this has led me to three words that capture what it means to be
vigilant. Each of these begins with the
letter “A”: Awake, Alert, and Aware.
I see a
difference in what each of these words means.
And I also see them in a definite order, with one leading to the other.
1. Be Awake
So
first, be awake.
Jesus
cautions us not to “become drowsy from
carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life.” So, on a basic level, don’t get caught in any
substance abuse that just deadens us to what is going on in life.
Beyond
that, don’t get caught in living for the latest electronic tablet or kitchen
appliance or clothing style. And don’t
get trapped in being so busy with our jobs and in making so many other
commitments that we are always running and always exhausted.
All of
these possibilities in today’s lifestyle can make us asleep to life. They can lull us into unconscious
living.
So, it
is important to grab hold of these things.
It is important to try to gain control of them.
Be
awake to life and to living each day of life consciously and
intentionally. And being awake in this
way takes us to the next step of being vigilant.
2. Be Alert
Be
alert.
Notice
the persons in our lives, especially our family and friends. Be alert to what is going on with them –
maybe your son has become withdrawn and seems down and you need to be there for
him.
Notice
the neighbor next door. Be alert to her illness
or relationship problem and to what a few minutes of our time might do for her.
Notice
the needs in our parish or community. Be
alert to how we might assist someone, maybe by taking an ornament from the
Christmas Giving Tree and buying gloves or sweaters or jeans for a family in
need.
And notice
the big picture of our country and our world.
Be alert to something we could say that would be constructive and that
lessens fear and negative energy.
So be
alert to the persons and situations around us.
And being alert in this way takes us to the third step in being
vigilant.
3. Be Aware
Be
aware.
This
means to look within ourselves. Be aware
of how well we are living.
Look,
as Saint Paul says today, at our feelings for others. Be aware of our feelings of respect or
disdain, jealousy or acceptance.
Look at
our quiet time versus our talking and noise time. Be aware if we are making space for an inner
life, for being in touch with ourselves, with our hopes and worries, with our
inner peace or unsettledness, with our loving of others and feelings of being
loved.
Look at
our relationship with God. Be aware if
it is minimalist, just putting in time for Sunday Mass, or if it is more than
that, really putting ourselves into the Mass and also making time for personal
prayer during the week.
So, be
aware of ourselves, of what is going on and how we may need to grow. This may lead us to a sense of repentance and
fresh resolve, and it will definitely be the crowning and completion of being
vigilant.
Conclusion
This is
the approach I am seeing for Advent.
Jesus
tells us to “Be vigilant” and I see these
three words that begin with the letter “A” – just like the word Advent – as helping
us to do this. Be Awake, Alert, and
Aware.
