My dear family in Christ, today is the last day of the Church’s liturgical year. Tonight or tomorrow, we begin Advent. As we close this chap...
My dear family in Christ, today is the last day of the Church’s liturgical year. Tonight or tomorrow, we begin Advent. As we close this chapter, Jesus leaves us with a final instruction summed up in three words: Wake, Weight, and Win.
First, Wake. Jesus says, "Be vigilant at all times." In the Philippines, we are very good at staying awake for Noche Buena or a fiesta. But are we spiritually awake? To be awake means to be aware of God's presence in the present moment. It means not sleepwalking through life, just working and eating, but forgetting why we are here.
Second, Weight. Jesus warns us: "Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life." Notice that He groups "drunkenness" and "anxiety" together. Both of them are weights. Some people escape life through vice (drunkenness); others escape through worrying (anxiety). Both make our hearts heavy. Both make us spiritually "drowsy." If you are carrying a heavy heart today because of worry, Jesus is asking you to put that weight down. You cannot fly to meet Him if you are weighed down by the baggage of the world.
Third, Win. The First Reading tells us the end of the story. Despite the wars and the beasts we read about all week, "The kingship and dominion... shall be given to the holy people of the Most High." In the end, God wins. And if we stay with God, we win. We are on the winning team!
So, as we end this liturgical year, let us do a "heart check." Is your heart heavy with worry or vice? Let it go. Confess it. Give it to God. Stay awake. The King is coming. Let us lift up our heads and be ready to start the beautiful journey of Advent.
No comments