Once, after a three-hour long drive, I finally reached my destination in the middle of nowhere. It turned out to be a ‘Pay and Display’ car park with a ticket machine. To my horror, it was taking coins only. My problem was that I had practically stopped using cash, preferring cashless payments as they’re more convenient to use and lighter to carry. The nearest town I could have gone to to withdraw cash was about a one-hour drive away. If I’d gone there and back, I wouldn’t have had enough time to climb the hills. On the other hand, if I’d left my car without a ticket, I would have risked a hefty fine. I was taken by surprise and obviously, I was completely unprepared.
Life can be full of surprises, and not all of them are nice. We make some plans for our future, we have some expectations with regard to other people, and we hope for undisturbed and constant happiness only to find it all ruined by unexpected incidents. Too often life doesn’t go as planned, it infrequently fulfils our expectations, and often involves a bumpy ride rather than plain sailing. Life seems to offer short moments of contentment separated by dull routines at best or unfortunate events at worst. It looks like we are at the mercy of unpredictable incidents, with minimal or no control over them. And at this time of year, even the weather seems to be against us.
I’m afraid that we might be part of the problem. Sometimes we are surprised by things we should have predicted or should have been prepared for. Sometimes we simply have to suffer the consequences of our own behaviour or choices. Don’t get me wrong: I don’t want to add guilt to your misery or blame you for all your misfortunes. What I am saying to you is that, with a few exceptions, we are in control of how we react in response to things happening in our lives. Though admittedly limited, we virtually always retain sway over our own reason and will, the power to discern what’s good and the power to make the right decision based on this discernment. In other words, we can think about what to do, select the best option and then follow through with our actions.
Here’s a gruesome example. When a driver kills a pedestrian by dangerous driving, it’s the pedestrian’s fatally bad luck; but on the driver’s side, it was a completely predictable situation. It becomes obvious after the accident; had the driver thought about the possible risks he would not have driven in a dangerous manner. Sadly, too often the reflection comes after the incident when the consequences cannot be completely undone. It might be a lesson learnt; but wouldn’t it be much better to learn a lesson beforehand?
Today’s gospel reading introduces us to Advent, a season we narrowly see as the run-up to Christmas. But it’s something much greater than that. It reminds us of the need to be alert, being prepared to face difficulties and problems. Let me recall one sentence: “stay awake because you do not know the day.” Life’s unpredictability shouldn’t be an excuse for hopeless idleness or “stiff upper lip”. On the contrary, we are called to actively engage in preparations for whatever life throws at us. The second reading gives us directions on what sort of activity is expected from us: “you must wake up now […]; let us arm ourselves and appear in the light.” It’s a call to return to resetting and upholding our priorities this Advent. This is a call to try to love today a bit more than we did yesterday and to love tomorrow a bit better than we do today.
Since my unfortunate journey to the ‘Pay and Display’ car park without cash, I have always kept a few £1 coins with me. Funnily enough, virtually all places now support cashless payment. However, I’m not going to give up on carrying some coins with me. Just in case, I will be prepared, because who knows what could happen.
