I went in to wake her at 7.30am as requested. My daughter was fully clothed, flat out, face down on the bed. I tried as gently as I could to rouse her, I gave her a little nudge. She woke with a start. “What time is it ? “ She asked wild eyed. “7.30” I replied, finding her rabbit in headlights look just a little amusing. “Ahhhh” she said with a conspiratorial tone “and it’s your birthday…Happy birthday” This was only hilarious because we were three months away from my birthday, but my delirious daughter had stayed up till 6.00am going over and over her dissertation, using every last minute till the deadline.
We find it, don’t we, the commitment to pull an all-nighter when we know the deadline. In fact nothing motivates us more. Isn’t it always an indefinite “sometime” that leaves us lighting the back burners?
This is the first Sunday of Advent, the church reminding us to prepare for the coming of Jesus. Not just then, but now. A time to start adjusting our eyes from darkness to light, so when that time comes we aren’t blinded and delirious.
I spend a lot of time with older people at the moment, people well aware of an approaching deadline. People with the gift to know that the time soon approaches, not everyone is blessed with this. We don’t know when our last minutes will be. Some are filled with great memories and a sense of fulfilment, but a few are filled with regrets and some bitterness and anger at where these last few years find them. However, until that very last minute you can still change the story. You have until the deadline!
Our headstones will have two dates on them, in between is a little line that represents our story, lets call that our life line. We have the choice, now to determine what that stands for. Perhaps as these last few days of lockdown overlap these first few days of advent, we can start to prepare for that unknown date. Start preparing for eternity.
Maybe we could stop building walls of security and build some bridges.
Perhaps by starting to reach out we will find we are fully filled within.
Maybe if we focus on just what we have been given we will realise why the Lord has left those other things missing.
Perhaps it is time to stop tearing down the reputation of others and look at the decay creeping into our own temples.
Maybe if we finally bring our wounds before His, we won’t keep afflicting new ones on those we love.
Perhaps if we offer Him our fears of the unknown we will find the courage to embrace the adventure that awaits us, even now.
Maybe we could surrender to Him this isolation and see it was actually the gift of space to finally hear His voice.
Maybe this time of preparation is about bringing Him those deepest questions, those injustices, the losses and the disappointments that have appeared meaningless and cruel till now…….and for once permitting Him the silence to answer.
Have a blessed Advent, this year like no other I think has primed us to prepare for something greater…. or someone greater who is most definitely coming. Seize the gift of this moment and the very grace of this space.
#advent #preparetheway #Gospel #christian #catholic #reflection #Stayawake #scripturereflection #mark13 #sundaygospel