Another Day

http://usccb.org/bible/readings/101916.cfm

Ephesians 3:2-12
Luke 12:39-48 

Upon reading the Scriptures for today, the novel, Gone With The Wind, immediately popped up from the recesses of my mind. The particular connection between the book and the Scripture was a recurring refrain which is repeated over and over by the heroine in the novel: "I won't think about that now. I'll think about it tomorrow. After all, tomorrow is another day." There are times when I think that mantra is part and parcel of the human psyche. Unfortunately, it also appears to be the motto of many, if not most of those whom the Father would call into a relationship with himself. That observation flows as much from the recognition that the Scriptures contain a mandate which the Lord has found it necessary to repeat time and again, as it does from the persistent failure of people to respond. 

We hear the Lord's directive as early as the 13th century BC when instructions were given regarding the Hebrew's departure from Egypt at the time of the Exodus. The Israelites were told to eat the Passover "with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD's passover" (Exodus 12:11). We heard the message again today in the Gospel where Jesus tells the disciples: "You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” We hear it from Jesus at other times, as when he tells of the five wise and five foolish virgins. The Lord gives the message to Paul and Paul proclaims: "Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2)

There are two facets common to these periodically offered warnings. The first is summarized in the two words 'be prepared.' The second is just as brief. 'Do it now.' Too often our mental reply echoes the words of Scarlett O'Hare in Gone With The Wind: "I won't think about that now. I'll think about it tomorrow. After all, tomorrow is another day." Or, if you prefer, I can offer the same sentiment in the words of St. Augustine: "Lord, make me chaste, but not yet." 

I suppose our Father has his own reasons for persistently recommending that we be prepared. He usually does. Besides, the recommendation is not an unusual one; on the contrary, it's a very practical one, applicable to a wide variety of situations. Before starting to cook a meal, we make sure we are prepared with the required ingredients. Before we leave on a hike or camp out, we make sure we have the essential equipment. Before planting a garden, we make sure the soil has been properly made ready through weeding and fertilizing. When we are expecting guests, we make sure the house is tidy and the rooms are clean. Insofar as the Lord's admonition recommends that we be prepared his admonition is not out of the ordinary. 

But what about that second part --- the 'do it now' part? When I consider the excuses I mentally construct for why I don't do something, a variety of alternatives come to mind. The most obvious is that I am just too lazy. But it can't always be laziness because I have also have noticed that I usually find time for what I really like to do; so maybe my procrastination is due to a lack of interest in the outcome. I further recall that my wife thinks the house should be totally spotless when a prospective home buyer is scheduled to visit; while I, on the other hand, don't take the consequences of a little dirt ant disorder as seriously. Then too, I might simply be following the old saying 'Never do today what you can put off 'til tomorrow.' That proverb is especially useful in those circumstances where I know that the world will still turn when I am gone.

It's a bit disconcerting, however, when I put the Lord's recommendation to 'be prepared' and 'do it now' side by side with the various mental escape routes I have just listed as being available. He is talking about salvation, freedom, his presence to me, my spiritual life; and when I remember that I perk up enough to pay a bit more attention. Ultimately, I have to ask some questions. Am I really too lazy to address that one part of my life which I can carry into eternity? Am I really indifferent to working on the one relationship which offers life and love and joy both now and in eternity? Are the consequences that follow from a bit of sinful dirt and spiritual disorder such that I can readily sluff them off? Or do I simply think it doesn't really make any difference in the long run since my Heavenly Father has more important things to do than enter into a love relationship with me?

O well. I won't think about that now. I'll think about it tomorrow. After all, tomorrow is another day.

So, I get toward the end of my reflection and look back, rereading what I've written thus far, checking the logic and continuity of the thoughts I've written. This time I discover a major omission. The pragmatic aspect of the directive to 'be prepared' was discussed. But the 'do it now' aspect got shuffled aside in the investigation of potential rationales for not doing it now. So, let's return to the questioned posed before: what about that second part --- the 'do it now' part? 

An examination of the various texts cited at the beginning implies a lot more than the wisdom and necessity of being ready. There is an implicit urgency which is not always captured in the words but, which, in the full context of the selected verses, becomes more apparent. It's plainly stated in the directive given at the time of the Exodus --- loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste. It is also more than implied by the 'NOW! of St Paul. On other occasions where the teaching is stated, the pressing nature of the directive is more subtle, but it's always there. Why? What's the rush?

When I reflect on these questions the answer that most readily comes to mind is a pragmatic one, namely: if I don't prepare now --- if I don't regularly and consistently pursue salvation, freedom, his presence to me, my spiritual life now --- then, slowly but surely I will forget to do it at all. But this answer seems sorely lacking. There's more here than Our Father being realistic about our Inadequacies. The compelling nature of his words flows from what he says to us all through his prophets: "I have loved you with an everlasting love." (Jeremiah 31:3) "I have called you by name, you are mine." (Isaiah 43:1) 

The urgency of his command is in the tortured anguish of his love for us and in his desire that we share in that love. How can we possibly respond by saying I'll think about it tomorrow. After all, tomorrow is another day?