Sleep is beautiful when it comes at the right time, but embarrassing otherwise. Some people sleep through class. They sleep at meetings. They sleep during concerts. They mean well, but they miss out on important moments of life.

Other people sleep through life in other ways. They are unaware of political issues, unconcerned for the needs of the poor, ignorant of manners, aloof from people seeking their attention. Some people sleep through life, through relationships, and through faith.

Around the world, many people are unaware of Christ as if they are asleep. They live in a darkness outside of the light of the good news. They may have some inner sense of goodness, given as a gift from God, but they may not yet have heard the gospel or had the opportunity to live it in faith.

Through baptism we have been awakened from our sleep. Christ is our light. The letter to the Ephesians says, “Brothers and sisters: You were once darkness. But now you are light in the Lord.” Baptism has changed our status. We no longer belong to the night. We shine with the light of day. As a consequence we must “live as children of light.” Having moved from darkness to light, we now have responsibilities. Let us shake off the sleep that threatens to keep us from being faithful to Christ. Throughout the Lent, let us rise from sleep and live in light.

Written by Paul Turner. Liturgy Training Publications
Copyright 2004, Archdiocese of Chicago