“O Lord, may this sacrament in which we have participated profit us. Even now as we walk amid passing things you teach us by these sacraments to love the things of heaven and to hold fast to what endures.”
These words are the final prayer of the Mass for the First Sunday of Advent. The spirit of this prayer will be repeated most of Advent as the conclusion of the daily Mass.
Another translation of the prayer invites us “to use wisely the things of earth and to love the things of heaven.”
I plan to use this simple prayer as my mantra for the season.
What are the things of earth? – Time, space, the created universe, my work, my responsibilities, etc.
Do I wisely use my time? I only have so much. Can I see my time, not as mine, but as the gift of God?
Do I use space wisely? Do I take more than I need? Do I deprive others of the space they need?
How do I relate to humanity’s common home—the earth? Am I careless in my use of food, energy, and water? Do I waste? Am I possessive?
Do I do my work well? Do I see my work as a participation in the creative work of God? Do I see my work as contributing to the common good? Do I bring the best that I am to my work?
Do I see my responsibilities as opportunities and not as burdens? Do I recognize that when I meet my responsibilities, I live is harmony and unity with those with whom I live?
What are the things of heaven?
Do I yearn to rest in the presence of the mercy of God? Am I eager to see Jesus face to face?
Do I desire to know with my heart that Jesus is the very image of the Father and that Jesus is the model of human living—my living? Am I eager to know myself as God knows me?
Am I ready to intercede with God for the good of the world and all people? Am I eager to experience the blessedness of God—“Come, you blessed of my Father, and posses the place prepared for you before the foundation of the World.”
Do I desire to see the myriad ways in which Jesus was presented to me in this life, especially in the faces of the poor, the forgotten, the sick, the stranger, the hungry, the abandoned, etc.?
Do I accept that if I seek peace, I must embrace justice? Am I willing to let go of all that keep me from union with God and my neighbor; after all, such union is heaven?
The opening weeks of Advent focus on the end times, the fulfillment of the Divine plan, and the restoration of all things in Christ. This fulfillment is what we prayed for and celebrated last Sunday in the Feast of Jesus Christ King of the Universe.
Ever-living God, you will to restore all things in your Son, the King of the Universe. Grant that the whole of creation, freed from the slavery of sin, may serve you and ceaselessly proclaim your praise. We pray this through Jesus Christ, your Son.
Father Steve Adrian
Pastor Emeritus
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