I have been always envious of Peter Pan; have always wanted to be like him – never growing old, always free from the worries and cares of the world. And the best part is – to always be living by the day in pure wonder in Neverland. Wishful thinking, I know. We don’t have Neverland and of course, it is inevitable to grow old. So growing up, my wish was to die young (Morbid I know) – in 33 years, the lord has accomplished His mission on earth, so why can’t I , right?

Our gospel in this first Sunday of Advent urges us to be watchful for we do not knowwhen the hour is coming. But what hour are we talking about? The Advent talks about the two-fold coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; one, the commemoration of His birth and the other, the expectation of His second coming. Which of this two are to be “watchful” for? I’ll say both. To be on the watch means to always be ready while being aware. We stay awake, and not be caught sleeping in faith as we acknowledge that we are waiting and hoping for the coming of the Lord again. Our faith fixed on the coming of the Lord again. Our faith fixed on the coming of the Messiah, while realizing that God is already with us today. God is omnipresent, but since no one knows the Parousia or Christ’s second coming, we cannot just waste our present life. Our modern world will always be in constant battle for what is trending, of what is the latest technological advancement. But christ as the living world, made flesh. He is the one that should never go out of style. Our faith should never run out, our faith, too, should always be updated and upgraded. May we learn to preserve our life now, to pray now, read the scriptures now, go to confession now, forgive now, offer our life to the Lord now and love now.

I realized that the reason I don’t want to grow old and that I’d rather die young, is that I fear that the more years I have, means I have more time, sinning. Now, that I am a year late from dying young, I came to my last wish. I realized since I can never be forever young, nor die young, and that there is no escaping ageing, on my 34th birthday this year, I prayed to God not for a long life, but that I may be able to live my life beautifully, that I may age gracefully. Sinning will always be there if we lose sight of the Lord, if we choose not to stay connected to His word. Our group sang to Itchyworm’s song after our bible study a week ago (thanks Fr. Edgar for relating this song to our reflection), “Ayookong tumanda kung di ka kasama.” True enough I can say, I don’t want to grow old, Lord, if I’m not with you, if I will always prefer Peter Pan’s Neverland over your promise of paradise.

Source: Neo Jeremiah Voice of the Young Prophet Newsletter – December 3, 2017 issue.