I once had the pleasure of sitting next to a U.S. marine while on a flight from New York to Rome. At the end of our conversation he said he was going to sleep, because, once he got on board, he changed his watched 6 hours ahead to Rome time and was preparing his body to adapt. Then he asked what I was going to do. I said I was going to study, because I had a test the next day and I left studying to the last minute. He said, “Ahhh, you should never do that.” It’s only now that I see the difference between him and me: he was a man who thought ahead to the goal, while I was a procrastinator.
Who else here is a procrastinator? We start homework late at night, pay bills on the day they’re due, and put off difficult projects and conversations until we have to do them.
Four weeks ago, we talked about striving for the greater gifts, that is, those things that Jesus is calling us to do that will bring us life. We wrote them down on cards and I received 406 of them. (By the way, someone wrote down their greater gift then added, “and a new priest. j/k.” I like that! It made me laugh out loud while I was praying!) We know we should be doing these things, but we procrastinate on doing them.
Today, Jesus offers us a great grace: He reminds us that there is a deadline to life and we can’t procrastinate. When it comes to our soul, we can’t wait forever to do the right thing. He gives two examples from His own time: Some Galileans rose up against the Romans and were killed by Pilate; A tower in Jerusalem kills 18 people. Jesus asks, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did” (Lk 13:2-3). We often think that we’re good enough, so we’re safe from these things and have nothing to change. But Jesus says this attitude is an illusion. It’s the devil who says, “There’s no hurry.” The truth is everything in life has a deadline: our bodies’ health, opportunities at work and school, and even relationships.
Mark Donnelly, “Mr. O’Canada,” the Canucks’ anthem singer, is a devout Catholic, father of nine children and very pro-life. He went from 370 to 197 lbs. Why? “In the spring of 2010, I realized that if I wanted to be around for the younger kids, I needed to lose some weight.” That’s a deadline, and it bore fruit.
Jesus mentions a parable at the end of the gospel, about expecting fruit. Why did the owner want to cut down the fig tree? Because trees are meant to bear fruit. In the same way, we’re created to love. So when we avoid doing the right thing, we’re not loving. Jesus never procrastinates because love doesn’t procrastinate.
My whole life I’ve struggled with procrastination and putting off important or difficult things. I learned the beauty of deadlines with the help of a friend in the seminary. Richard was the opposite of me: he would always work furiously to get stuff done on time. Knowing that I was always delaying, and because he cared for me, he once got mad at me and said, “Why do you always stay up so late?” “I don’t know,” I said. He insisted, “Just get it done.” I didn’t know what to say. In a moment of inspiration, he then said, “That’s it, I challenge you! I challenge you to get the paper done by 9 p.m.” Once he said that, he shifted my focus from the fear of starting to a deadline! I focused on that deadline, just got started, and finished at 8:45 p.m. I was amazed at how the deadline could motivate me. That’s why Jesus’ reminder is so life-giving for me today.
Now is the sacred time of Lent, a time of action. Pope Emeritus Benedict says, “In Lent, each one of us is asked by God to mark a turning point in our life, thinking and living in accordance with the Gospel, correcting some aspect of our way of praying, acting or working and of our relations with others.”
This a good opportunity to mention that we’re having 1st Saturday Confessions this week, meaning Reconciliation will be available from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., except for a break for Mass, 4:30-6:45 p.m. which includes preparing for Mass and greeting everyone. As Fr. Larre said two weeks ago, when Confessions go up in frequency, sin goes down; when there are fewer Confessions, sin goes up.
Here are some possible steps that might help us with procrastination:
- Focus on the greater gift that Jesus is asking of us. Then ask why we’re procrastinating. What’s stopping us? It’s usually some fear: do you know what you’re afraid of?
- Pray for insight and grace. Only Jesus can help us with this. He’s the one who inspires every good action and He’s the one who will complete it.
- Jesus, because He’s brilliant, often inspires us to talk to someone about this. I once shared with a young adult group that I had been sleeping on a bad bed for years and the bed I had at the time wasn’t good for me. I had been thinking about buying a proper bed for a year but never had the time. Then a young lady asked the million dollar question, “So when are you going to do it?” That question (a deadline) gave me strength. I took a breath and said, “I’ll go to the store on Monday.” And I did, and I got the right bed a month later. This is what friends should do for us.
Don’t worry about being perfect at the beginning. Just get going. Once we get going, it gets easier as we pick up momentum. Just pick up the phone, start writing, or contact that person. When I procrastinate on exercise, I even put on the theme song of Rocky or Hockey Night in Canada to motivate myself.
Jesus, our best friend, will help us. Out of love He’s saying to us, “Unless you repent, unless you change and do what’s right, you will perish, you’ll lose the greater gift.” This is a deadline and deadlines are good for us.