Actively Waiting in Love
Ang Tunay na Mayaman
October 19, 2020
Managers or Abusers?
October 21, 2020PITIK-BULAG: Actively Waiting in Love
Last Sunday, I had an opportunity to visit the Ayala Mall for a short window shopping. Christmas songs in the background and the Christmas decors all over. I realized that Christmas is just around the corner. Yet, my mind is still stuck in the pandemic.
I almost forgot that Christmas is coming. I completely lost my excitement in waiting for the coming birth of our Lord. The magic of joyful waiting for Christmas was robbed away from me by the pandemic. But thanks to this quick stroll at the mall, I was reminded of our Christmas celebration, something that we Filipinos are always thrilled to celebrate. Indeed, this pandemic has caused us to lose our grip on our faith. Our spiritual energy is depleted significantly. We entertained so many anxieties and fear. And many of us have lost our sense of purposefulness.
The gospel today warns us to be more vigilant and patient during the pandemic. Our faith invites us to actively wait for His daily coming in our lives. Our passive waiting could lead us to spiritual laziness and insensitivity. While we wait for the end of the pandemic, we are duty-bound to wait actively. Stretch your hands and help the needy. Be more aggressive in your prayer. Be attentive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. But be more vigilant in the deceits and lies of the bad spirit.
During the pandemic, beware of the bad spirit known as Acedia, or as Benedictine Dom Jean-Charles Nault would name it, “the noonday devil of our times.” Acedia is a kind of indifference to spiritual life or coldness to heavenly things as a result of long waiting, anxiety, and fear. The monks used to feel Acedia in their isolation after entertaining personal issues and anxieties. In the process, tempted to let go of their vocation as a monk.
Acedia is a gloomy combination of weariness, sadness, and lack of purposefulness in life. It comes when we least expect it and it is difficult for someone to recognize it. Acedia robs our capacity for joy and leaves us a feeling of emptiness and void of meaning. In the end, we lose our desires for spiritual growth and maturity.
WE ARE WAITERS for the coming of God in our daily routine. We are invited to be vigilant against Acedia by actively waiting for the Lord’s coming into our lives. The gospel offers some good pointers on how to become a GOOD WAITER.
1. GOOD SPIRITUAL PREPARATION: “Gird your loins.”
Be dressed ready for the second coming of Jesus. But be more aware of His “daily comings” in our life. Always wear the disciple’s clothing and be ready to respond to His calling. Be reminded of the wedding guest who was punished for not wearing the appropriate wedding garment (Matthew 22: 1-14).
2. REGULAR MAINTENANCE OF FAITH: “Keep your lamps burning.”
Be vigilant in keeping your lights. Trim your light and have extra oil for the possibility of a delay. Here we speak of the light of righteousness and the oil of patience, faith, and inner joy. Be reminded of the parable of the virgins (Matthew 25:1-3).
3. RIGHT DISPOSITION: “Be like servants who await their master’s return.”
We are mere creatures of God. We are created to praise, love, and serve Him with all our hearts. We are not supposed to expect anything in return for anything we do. We are mere servants. Be reminded of the parable of the rich fool (Luke 12: 13-21).
THE REWARD OF ACTIVE WAITING. The reward of our faithful waiting for the Lord coming is astonishing, awesome, and beyond our imagination. Suddenly, the Master becomes the servant: “Blessed those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. In truth I tell you, he will do up his belt, sit them down at the table and wait on them.” (Luke 12:35-38).
The Master, our Lord, becomes the servant. Why did the Lord choose to become a servant? Why did Jesus die on the cross for us? Why did he wash the feet of the disciples? Why did He call us friends and not servants anymore?
Three things for consideration to let us know of the importance of serving. When Jesus started serving his disciples and the people, he introduced a new meaning of being a servant.
1. Serving is an honorable task
2. Serving is a form of leading
3. Serving is done out of love and friendship
Waiting for the Lord’s coming is boring when done passively. Be active while waiting. Time flies when one is acting always in the name of love.
– Fr. Willy M. Samson, SJ
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October 20, 2020
Gospel Reading: Luke 12: 35-38
