Now, therefor
e, let us finally arise. Scripture stirs us up saying, “Now is the hour to rise from sleep.” (RB Prologue)
No call is resisted and resented so fully as the call to wake up.
So we need not be surprised if we do not want to be stirred into action, especially when we do not know exactly what will be involved. We are being summoned to an unspecified alertness. We are being asked to be prepared for unknown challenges, to say yes to demands that have not yet been made. All of this requires a strong faith in Providence and a firm trust that God never calls us to perform beyond our real limits. And we have to be realistic. Despite my forebodings, I can rise reasonably confident that the heroism demanded of me today will not involve utter disgrace, or torture, or martyrdom, but will simply point me toward small actions that transcend the usual boundaries I impose on my benevolence: a word of encouragement here, a few minutes of solicitous listening there, a helping hand, a gesture of forgiveness or solidarity, a hidden initiative that furthers the common good. Occasions for such tiny acts of heroism will present themselves, but only if, first of all, we are awake and alert to their possibility.
Michael Casey, OSCO
The Road to Eternal Life, p. 31
