I HAD a marvelous Thanksgiving holiday with my family in the Bay Area. The day after a lovely Thanksgiving dinner, we spent time shopping, chatting, and eating more home made food. In the evening, we all decided to go to Union Square in San Francisco to wait for Macy’s Annual Christmas Tree Lighting.
As we waited for the Christmas tree to get lighted on a cold and crowded Black Friday night, we continued to nourish one another with much affection and love. Little nephews and nieces cuddled with their older cousins, aunts, and uncles. Everyone took turns taking pictures of one another. Some of us warmed ourselves with cappuccinos and group hugs.
“How lucky we are that we’re together as a family,” I mused as I thought of families in Tacloban City and other areas in the Philippines who lost their loved ones and homes from Super Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda.
Life must go on for those of us who are fortunate to have survived any disaster or sickness. But we must live one’s personal life with constant awareness that it has its end too. And we must not take for granted the times we have with our loved ones.
This is what Advent calls us to do: to be constantly “awake” knowing that our life here on earth is a passing time. It urges us to live passionately the present moment without being too much attached to it. For we know that a greater life awaits us beyond this earthly life.
And so those tender and loving moments that my family and I demonstrated to one another while waiting for the Christmas tree to light at Union Square reminds me of the proper attitudes we all need to have while waiting for the completion of each other’s personal life.
We need to brighten each other’s life with tenderness and care, understanding and respect, compassion and service. We need to prepare the next generation of families with the same love of God and faith in Him and with the values of the Kingdom that Jesus Christ preached. We need to show to one another that life becomes more meaningful and fulfilling when we live it without self-centeredness, apathy to the destitute, and greed.
We must live life joyfully, knowing that it is God’s gift to us. And this spirit of joy should not come merely from realizing that we have money and material things. It should emanate from a profound gratitude to God for having enough resources to survive and from knowing that there are people who support us.
Finally, we must live life with hope that our children will get jobs and our retirement years will be pleasant and rewarding, as long as we prudently prepare for them.
On this First Sunday of Advent, let us then embrace life with strong strong faith in God and always live it joyfully and lovingly. Amen.
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Reverend Rodel G. Balagtas attended St. John Seminary in Camarillo, California and earned his Doctor of Ministry in Preaching from Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, Missouri. For twenty years, he has been in the parish ministry of large multi-cultural communities. Since 2002, he has been the pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Los Angeles. Please email Fr. Rodel at [email protected].
