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Signs
for the Season
Fr.
George Smiga
November
27, 2005
Mark
13:31-37
Efficiency
and organization are certainly gifts, but they are not the
most important ones. There are other qualities that are more
fundamental, more necessary for life.
A
young naval officer was working his way up the chain of command.
One day he was particularly pleased when the captain announced
that the next morning the young officer would be in charge
of launching the boat from port. This was a considerable responsibility,
and the young officer wanted to do well. So the next morning
he gave a number of rapid commands and the decks were a buzzing
with activity. Soon the boat was making its way out of port.
The officer was pleased with himself and was quite sure that
he had set a record for the most rapid departure from port.
He was therefore not surprised when a seaman came up to him
with a note of congratulations from the captain. He was, however,
perplexed that the captain's note was a radio message. It
read: “Congratulations on your rapid departure from port.
But in your speed you forgot one important rule: Make sure
the captain is on board before you get underway.”
Getting
underway is something that I think a lot of us are beginning
to feel. Because with Thanksgiving behind us, the holiday
season is taking off. As beautiful as this season is, there
is no doubt that it places increasing demands upon us. The
preparation for family gatherings, for special meals, for
shopping and gifts absorbs our time and our energy. Yet it
is possible in the midst of all these activities to miss what
is truly important. This is why today's gospel tells us to
stay awake, to stay awake to life, to stay awake to what really
matters. There is no guarantee that simply because we are
in a flurry of activity, we will be able to be awake to what
is of true value. The ultimate success of the upcoming weeks
will be in our ability to recognize the spiritual and personal
dimension of all that we do.
After
all, what is the value of spending hours of preparation to
call family and friends together, if the activity of that
preparation prevents us from appreciating the people who gather?
What advantage is it to find the perfect gift for every person,
if the activity of finding that gift makes us irritable or
impatient with the people we love? What is the ultimate importance
of checking off everything from our holiday list, if such
activity blinds us to the moments of grace that God will place
in our life?
Those
moments of grace are at the heart of the holiday season. Those
moments are what we cannot miss. It is for those moments that
we must stay awake. Christ is with us, and Christ does plan
to bless us in the upcoming weeks, with tenderness, reconciliation,
and joy. But the success of the holidays will depend on our
ability to recognize those moments and to take them in.
So
how can we do this? How can we remind ourselves of this deeper
spiritual reality that is at the heart of the season? The
Cherokee Indians have a beautiful creation story which says
that on the day after creation was complete God asked all
the plants of creation to stay awake for seven days in celebration
of the earth. With each passing day more and more of the plants
grew tired and fell asleep. On the seventh day only two plants
were still awake: the pine tree and the holly bush. So God
blessed them and said to them, “Because you stayed awake,
you will remain green forever. In the heart of the winter
you will remain sentinels of life.” So to this day the Cherokee
Indians say that when winter comes, all the other plants lose
their leaves and fall asleep. But the pine and the holly bush
stay awake.
Now
clearly the pine and the holly are traditional signs of Christmas.
But I think we would do well to see them as signs of Advent,
signs of preparation. So in the upcoming weeks as you notice
a pine tree or a holly bush standing green against the barren
trees and the snow, think of it as staying awake. Let it remind
you to stay awake to the things that really matter. After
all, the upcoming weeks are not about our tasks but about
our relationships, about the people in our lives. After all,
the upcoming weeks are not about what we will do, but what
Christ will do for us. For Christ will indeed bless us with
moments of grace. Those moments are what we must not miss.
It is for those moments that we must stay awake.
Now
it should come as no surprise to us that the success of this
season, as of every season, is the presence of Christ with
us. Therefore, as this season begins, be sure that Christ
is on board before you get underway.
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