Early bird special

2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2

Brothers and sisters: We are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him. Working together, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says: In an acceptable time I heard you, and on the day of salvation I helped you. Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

             We all know that “the early bird gets the worm.”  We know that if we don’t get up early we will miss golden opportunities.  That’s why people line up and wait for hours before stores open up on “Black Friday.”  That’s why Black Friday is now officially “Black Thursday” – we want to be the early birds.  Even though we know this is true for material things, we fail to apply this lesson to spiritual things.  We indefinitely postpone the work of serious spiritual renewal.  We say, “I’ll start praying next year.”  “I’ll pray the rosary when I’m retired.”  “I’ll go to Mass when I have more free time.”  St. John Vianney warned: “We must take great care never to do anything before having said our morning prayers…The Devil once declared that if he could have the first moment of the day, he was sure of all the rest.”  The early bird gets the worm, but be careful, Devil wants to be the early bird, too.

            In the second reading today, St. Paul urges us to wake up to our spiritual lives; he wants us to stop procrastinating.  He writes to the Corinthians: “Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”  He’s saying in effect, “Look, have you been waiting for just the perfect day to start taking God seriously?  Well, guess what?  That day has arrived!  In other words, stop being a spiritual slacker!

            Well, Lent was designed specifically for us spiritual slackers.  It’s a wake up call so we can be early birds and get the spiritual worms.  Every year, we’re reminded not to put off growing in holiness and to take it soberly and seriously.  Now is the time to go to confession.  Now is the time to clean up your potty mouth.  Now is the time to stop drinking and smoking and use the money you save to help the poor.  Today is the day of salvation, not tomorrow.  The early bird gets the worm.  Don’t let the Devil get up before you do.

            Praised be Jesus Christ!