Wednesday of the First Week in Advent
Luke 21:34-38
34 ‘Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, 35like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. 36Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.’
37 Every day he was teaching in the temple, and at night he would go out and spend the night on the Mount of Olives, as it was called. 38And all the people would get up early in the morning to listen to him in the temple.
Since Sunday, every time I read scripture I get that message—keep awake. Today it is in the words “be alert.” There must be something here we are intended to grasp in our faith journey.
Before vacation, I noticed my mind slipping a bit, I felt overwhelmed with some decisions and the weight of burdens that we were all carrying. Every time I got something done, it was like I didn’t even breathe and was off to the next thing. Right or wrong, I felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders, and I was definitely not alert. I am sure I missed things around me.
Our reading begins –be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down, so that day does not catch you unexpectedly. I realize that sometimes I am just too busy to notice how God is present in the every day tasks of life, even in those occasions where I am grieved and burdened.
Advent gives us that chance in the anticipation of waiting to see God in unexpected ways, even through the things that weigh us down. I do believe that this time of pandemic will change us, and some of it might be for the better. If we allow ourselves during this time to prioritize our lives, to let go of some of the things that really don’t matter, I think we might find that we are more alert to the action and presence of God in every day life.
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