I LOVE to rise up early in the morning like at four or at five o’clock. It’s quiet and serene; most people are still asleep. It’s the best time to walk around the house or to sit quietly in a room with a cup of coffee or tea. It’s the best time to pray, to read the Scriptures, or to meditate.
Yes, I love to wake up during these wee hours of the morning so that I can pray quietly without interruptions and noises like the ringing of phones, the chatting of people or the programs on television. For me, early mornings are conducive to contemplation, for feeling the intimate presence of God.
Early mornings allows me to do other things like exercise or writing, which I may not be able to do during the day because of my busy schedule of work and other activities.
To achieve this goal of waking up early, I would to go to sleep early in the night. I would stop watching television, checking emails or Facebook posts, or talking to people on the phone. I know that I need enough rest to be bright and alert in the morning.
Waking up early is not easy. It takes a great deal of consistency and perseverance. But some people have taken this discipline. When you ask them about its benefits, they’ll beamingly tell them to you, and they’ll most likely recommend that you rise up early too.
Some people say that their success and well being come from rising up early. It’s because this discipline allows them to take care of their spiritual, mental, and physical health.
Many people, particularly the young generation, do not seem to take up this habit of going to bed early at night to wake up early in the morning. It’s because they have become addicted to television, Internet, social media and other forms of entertainment.
Modern forms of technology, communication, and visual arts have the tendency to alert our brains even in the middle of the night. Consequently, they make us lose sleep and we become tired in the morning or during the day.
Rising up early is a discipline that we may take in order to enjoy a balanced and healthy life. It now seems to be a countercultural form of being in this age of social media. For some of us, it may be a habit that we have to pick again. For young people, it’s a discipline that they need to learn and appreciate.
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From a Filipino immigrant family, Reverend Rodel G. Balagtas was ordained to the priesthood from St. John’s Seminary in 1991. He served as Associate Pastor at St. Augustine, Culver City (1991-1993); St. Martha, Valinda (1993-1999); and St. Joseph the Worker, Canoga Park (1999-2001). In 2001, he served as Administrator Pro Tem of St. John Neumann in Santa Maria, CA, until his appointment as pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary, Los Angeles, in 2002, which lasted 12 years. His term as Associate Director of Pastoral Field Education at St. John’s Seminary began in July 2014.