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Jesus said to his disciples: “Beware that your hearts do not become
drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily
life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. For that day
will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth.” Luke
21:34–35
This is the final day of the liturgical year. Tomorrow begins
Advent and the beginning of a new Church year. On this day, we are
once again presented with a Gospel passage that points to the final
coming of Christ. In preparation for that day, the day in which we
meet our Lord for judgment, Jesus points to two grave dangers that
will cause our hearts to become “drowsy” and leave us unprepared.
First, He says that “carousing and drunkenness” will make us
unprepared. Second, He says that “the anxieties of daily life” will
also leave us unprepared.
On a literal level, carousing and drunkenness means a person relies
upon alcohol for satisfaction in life, and they do so by using it
to live a lively and somewhat carefree life. They live for the
moment and look for satisfaction in self-indulgence. And though
drunkenness is specifically mentioned here, there are numerous ways
that people attempt to live this way.
Everyone wants to be happy in life. We cannot not work to achieve
this innate desire. No one intentionally chooses to be unhappy.
However, many people regularly choose things in life that do lead
to unhappiness and discontentment. But they do so with the false
conviction that this or that action will satisfy. And though there
are many things that provide temporary or superficial “happiness,”
the truth is that there is only one thing and one thing alone that
provides the happiness and fulfillment we desire. That one thing is
the presence of God alive within our souls.
The “anxieties of daily life” are also a great burden to so many.
No one intentionally chooses to be anxious. No one wants to
experience this form of interior disturbance. And though anxiety
can come from many sources, physical, psychological and spiritual,
one primary source of anxiety is stress that is not dealt with in a
proper way. Stress can come from tensions at work, at home or
within one’s own soul. Stress usually occurs when some difficulty
is faced and reacted to with fear, confusion, anger, despair and
the like. According to Jesus, giving in to these anxieties can
leave a person unprepared for the day of their judgment at the end
of their life or the end of the world. But it doesn’t have to be
that way. Stress and tension, and the anxiety that results from
them, is most decisively cured by turning from the difficulty one
experiences and turning to a deep and total trust in the providence
of God. At Mass, the priest prays after the “Our Father” that God
“free us from all distress” and that we will instead “await the
blessed hope and the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.” Faith
and hope in God and in His final coming at the end of time is the
spiritual cure for the anxiety and distress we often experience in
life. Trusting in our Lord, with the utmost confidence, will enable
us to achieve this peaceful disposition and with joyful hope and
confidence.
Reflect, today, upon those things that hinder you the most from
being ready to meet our Lord. Perhaps you struggle with ongoing
choices that reflect a life of “carousing and drunkenness.” Or
perhaps you struggle deeply with worry, distress and anxiety. If
this is you, know that freedom awaits. It awaits you if you can
only embrace and live the final prayer of this reflection: “Jesus,
I trust in You.” Trust Him. Entrust your poor decisions in life to
Him. Entrust your sin to Him. And entrust all of your worries and
tensions that lead to an unsettled heart. As you do so, try to rest
in the consoling arms of our Lord so that you will be fully
prepared for that glorious day of our Lord’s judgment that
awaits.
My hopeful Lord, You and You alone are the answer to every
struggle in life. You and You alone can relieve me of my burdens
and the poor choices I make. Help me to trust in You always and in
every circumstance in life. I do entrust myself to You and choose
to make You the single focus of my life. Jesus, I do trust in
You!
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