Delivered by Vivian of the Parish of Saint Thomas the Apostle in the Archdiocese of Jakarta, Indonesia. Daniel 7: 15-27; Rs psalm: Add Dan 3: 82.83.84.85.86.87; Luke 21: 34-36.

STRATEGIC PROGRAM

The title for ourmeditation today is: Strategic Program. On this last day of the liturgical yearC our reflection should reinforce our optimism. This specificwords "strategic program" are used evenly at various levels ofspeaking can be a way to strengthen our optimism about our life and work. A programis always manifested in the plan of activities that leads to action, andstrategy refers to the best options that a plan wants to achieve.

Our spiritual life inthis journey of faith on earth really needs a strategic program, something thatis very important for our own personal journey, families, Church as a religiousinstitution and other social activities. The most concrete and basic spirituallife in this journey is every personal growth of faith. Religion, Church,religious study, family, fellowship, prayer groups are all instruments thatnurture and strengthen that personal spiritual life. The one who will face andsubmit an accountability of this journey of faith at the moment of the finaljudgment in afterlife is every person of faith, and not those supportinginstruments.

So the strategicprogram that we mean here is fundamentally for every person with all itsuniqueness. At the end of this liturgical year C, then we are to welcome the liturgical year A which is marked by the First Sunday of Advent, planning for a strategicspiritual life program is something very appropriate. The method for makingthis program is simple, that is, we start with the main keywords: Get ready orbe prepared, words that are often used by Jesus in His teaching about the welcoming of the Kingdom of God.

The reason we choosethis strategic words in the spirit of preparation is because our awarenessneeds to be awaken up, our forgetfulness needs to be reminded, our lazinessneeds to be injected with diligence, our ignorance needs to be enlightened, ourpassivity needs to be covered with sensitivity, our loneliness needs to begiven vitamin of community and social atmosphere, and our sadness needs to bechanged with joy. This keywords preparation are important and urgent so that weas people of faith can respond quickly to abandon our old style of life whichhave been enslaving us and yet we were less aware of.

Let us start bygetting ready, then we can proceed this following program: with ourperseverance in prayer so that we can control ourselves from temptations of theevil one, then we will be safe in God's presence; with our practice of fast andmortification in order to give our souls an ample space to focus on God, ratherthan being carried away by worldly lust or deceit; with our obediencewholeheartedly to God who always sees and loves us; with our sense of wonderand gratitude for all the goodness God has bestowed on us; with our purity ofheart in praising and rejoicing the Lord; with our sincerity to forgiveneighbors 70 times 7 times; with our courage to testify in truth who Jesus is;and with our humility in tirelessly loving others. And let us say to eachother: A happy journey of faith in this coming Advent!

Let's pray. In the name of theFather. O most merciful and loving Father, send us your Holy Spirit to help uslive always in the spirit of getting ready. Glory to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit ... In the name of the Father ...