The Scripture readings lately have often mentioned the importance of being alert, staying awake, being ready. I find this rather ironic considering that this is often the time of year when people run themselves ragged doing things that they feel are part of getting ready for Christmas. I’m not sure how well the people who were out shopping at midnight the day after Thanksgiving did staying awake and focused at the beginning of Advent last week. News stories have shown that some people certainly weren’t seeking Christ or behaving in a Christ-like way when they sprayed people with pepper spray or trampled others on their way to get some deal-of-the-century.
On Saturday, Kevin and I went to 11am Mass with my grandma at Little Sisters of the Poor and couldn’t help but be amused by the entrance song, entitled “Stay Awake.” Perhaps my grandma wouldn’t have been as inclined to doze off if we’d included the suggested clapping after each verse of the song. (By the way, neither of us think that there is anything wrong with a woman in her late eighties dozing off in her wheelchair wherever she happens to be, but we did appreciate the irony of that particular hymn choice for a nursing home.)
Kevin and I are still shocked that it’s December and already we’re beginning the second week of Advent. When people ask if we’re ready for Christmas, we say no, and that’s okay since it’s still Advent. We need time to prepare our hearts even more so than our homes to celebrate the Lord Jesus coming.
What’s one thing you can do this week to keep your heart awake to the promptings of the Holy Spirit?
