In the gospel for the first Sunday of Advent this year,
Jesus says, “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy.” In a reflection
entitled Between Two Advents, Fr.
Dennis Hamm notes that the sense of the Greek verb for drowsy, barethosin, is literally “to be weighed
down.” It is worth pondering as we enter the season of Advent what is weighing
our hearts down: News that refugees seeking asylum in the United States are
being repelled by tear gas? Health or financial worries? Sadness about the
death of a loved one?
We may sometimes wonder if our hearts are strong enough to
withstand all that is weighing them down. However, in his first letter to the
Thessalonians, Paul offers a prescription to strengthen our hearts at such
times:
Brothers
and sisters:
May the Lord make you increase
May the Lord make you increase
and
abound in love
for one another and for all,
just as we have for you,
so as to strengthen your hearts….
for one another and for all,
just as we have for you,
so as to strengthen your hearts….
As Kathleen Dowling Singh says in
her book The Grace In Aging, “Two thousand years so, Jesus told us to love one
another. He was giving us the key to our own holy awareness beyond self. He was
telling us exactly how to become liberated, how to awaken. He was giving us the
simplest possible key. Three words. Love. One. Another. Love one another.”
During Advent, we may not be able
to put a halt to tear gas, poor health, money woes, or the sense of loss when
someone dies. However, we can lighten and strengthen our hearts, and those of others, by choosing to
love others in whatever situations we encounter each day. Jesus doesn’t ask us
to fulfill a laundry list of laws, but makes one simple request that allows us
to see how he comes to us each day: love one another.
May you have a blessed Advent that
leads to a light-hearted Christmas!
Thank you so much for this Jennifer! I have heard those words too, “drowsy”, and in my little brain, but big heart, I took them literally....”sleepy, anesthesized, etc.”. But I like the Greek leaning of it: weighed down. And I am that right now. So I needed to hear those words, and I will reflect on them this Sunday, and draw close to the words of St. Paul. I will lighten up. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteAmy,
ReplyDeleteI was particularly struck by that interpretation too, and shared it with the inmates in the prison last night in our Scripture study group there. I'm sorry you are feeling weighed down at present. May abounding love lighten your heart!
Thank you. It is always a pleasure to read your words.
ReplyDelete