Wake-up call

The story is told about a soldier who was on night duty. He tried to stay awake, but nature took its course and he soon fell asleep on his seat. At daybreak, the camp commander shouted at him: “Soldier, what are you doing?” Whereupon the soldier slowly opened his eyes, raised his head, folded his hands together as if in prayer, and said: “Aaaamen!”

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Today is the First Sunday of Advent, the time to start preparing for Christmas, the time, so to speak, to wake up from our slumber. It is a time filled with much hope and anticipation for the birth of our Savior. Our Great Commander asks each one of us today: “Soldier, what are you doing?”

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In today’s Gospel (Lk. 21, 25-28;34-36), Jesus tells His disciples to be vigilant and to pray at all times. Amid the holiday rush and clutter, may we find quiet and prayerful moments, and reflect on the significance and meaning of Christmas. Remember, Christmas is not so much a matter of lights and tinsel as a matter of the heart, a matter of going back to God’s heart.

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The Lord tells us today to refocus and stay focused on Him. Our vices and bad habits can blur or altogether remove our focus on the Lord. May we go beyond our selfie mode—which is all about I, me and myself—and include God in the picture! Let go, and let God.

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The anxieties of daily life can also take away our focus on the Lord. Our endless concern for money distracts us from truly welcoming God in our hearts. Advent reminds us that there is something more than meets the eye in the here and now. There is eternity, and we have a date to meet our God, face to face, someday.

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Is your heart open to God? Is there room for God in your heart? If your answers to these questions are in the negative, maybe it’s because your heart is filled with these “4Ps,” namely: Pera, Power, Pride and Pleasures. If we make these 4Ps our god, if we make these our primary concern and agenda, then it will be difficult for God to be the God of our lives.

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There is another P of which we should be careful, and that is Politics. Let us not leave God out of politics and government. Otherwise, those with guns, goons and gold will triumph again. Let us bring back God, goodness and guts in our national governance. Advent is all about undying hope. Let us not stop dreaming and hoping, and let us continue to work for a better Philippines.

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Someone once said: “Anticipation is oftentimes worse than reality.” That’s true. The Lord reminds us today not to be overcome with fear. Fear can kill us. Fear can immobilize and freeze us. The antidote to fear is trust. Let us pray for the grace to be more trusting and to be less fearful. May all that we are, and all that we do, be borne out of love, and not of fear. Are you living a life full of fears and insecurities? Advent reminds us: Fear not, trust, believe, hope!

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Correction: In my column last Nov. 22, I mentioned that the recently departed Fr. Willy Villegas, SVD, was from Tanauan, Batangas. He was from Tanauan, Leyte.

Sorry for my mistake.

Advent is about saying “sorry” and accepting our faults and mistakes. The spirit of repentance and reconciliation is one of the guiding spirits of the season of Advent. It is the time to make peace with God, with other people, and with ourselves.

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Are you really at peace? You know you are completely at peace when:

You have accepted that the past is past and it is already in God’s hands and mercy, and you stop going back to the could-have-beens and should-have-beens in your life.

You have surrendered and entrusted your future and your loved ones to Someone greater than yourself, and you have no more selfish agenda.

You have forgiven people who have hurt or betrayed you and have entrusted them to God.

You have made amends to those you have hurt, and made a firm resolve not to hurt other people anymore.

You have forgiven yourself and have accepted that you are not that good but not that bad either, and, believing that you still have a mission in life, you try to live the rest of your life, the best of your life.

You have made peace with your God, and have come home to His heart.

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Someone noted that earthly kings are either a King of Clubs who clobbers other people, a King of Diamonds who amasses money and wealth, or a King of Spades who heaps upon himself worldly honor and praise. But our Lord is the King of Hearts who has a room for every one in His big heart, and who gives, and gives with so much love. May all our Advent preparations come from our hearts. Without the heart, everything boils down to empty traditions, obligations and rituals.

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A moment with the Lord:

Lord, wake us up from our comfortable slumber, and help us to open our hearts to You and to one another. Amen.