Today is the last day of the liturgical year because tomorrow, the First Sunday of Advent, starts a new year in the Church calendar. I thought that today’s second reading in the Office of Readings, which is from a sermon by St. Augustine, was a great way to wrap up the year because it literally gives us marching orders for all of life. I especially like the way the ICEL* translation renders the last sentence, “Sing then, but keep going.” There is joy in the Christian life, but it is not carefree until we arrive in heaven.

The first two decades of my life of faith was in a tradition that believed that it was impossible for a Christian to lose his salvation. Our confidence was in the grace of God, who would not let any of his children fall. We were told to not worry about heaven because it was a done deal from the moment you first believed the Gospel. Yes, we should not sin, but for reasons other than for the sake of our own salvation. However, during those years I was never comfortable with that doctrine because it was clear to me that many times the Bible warns against falling away.

What St. Augustine, who certainly believed highly in the grace of God, shows us here is that there is a need for vigilance in the Christian life. God, by his grace, provides all that we need, and he is ever ready to help is with grace that is greater than all of our sin. Even so, we who have begun the walk of faith still have the freedom to turn away from God permanently. What may start as giving in to minor sins could lead to a hardness of heart and loss of faith from which one may never recover. That is why St. Augustine says that we should not take a leisurely approach to life, but work every day on our life with God, knowing that He is the one who really does all of the work. A very applicable scripture passage for this idea is found in Philippians 2:12-13, “…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

Let us sing Alleluia to God, who is good and frees us from evil

Let us sing alleluia here on earth, while we are still anxious and worrying, so that we may one day be able to sing it there in heaven, without any worry or care. Why anxious and worrying here? You must want me to be anxious, Lord, when I read, Is not man’s life on earth a trial and a temptation? You must want me to worry when temptation is so plentiful that the Prayer itself tells us to worry, when we say, Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us. Every day we are petitioners, every day we are trespassers. Do you want me to throw care to the winds, Lord, when every day I am requesting pardon for sins and assistance against dangers? After all, when I have said, because of past sins, Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us, I must immediately go on to add, because of future dangers, Lead us not into temptation. And how can a people be in a good way, when they cry out with me, Deliver us from evil? And yet, my brethren, in this time that is still evil, let us sing alleluia to the good God, who does deliver us from evil.

Even here, among the dangers, among the trials and temptations of this life, both by others and by ourselves let alleluia be sung. God is faithful, he says, and he will not permit you to be tempted beyond what you are able to endure. So even here let us sing alleluia. Man is still a defendant on trial, but God is faithful. He did not say “he will not permit you to be tempted” but he will not permit you to be tempted beyond what you are able to endure; and with the temptation he will also make a way out, so that you may be able to endure it. You have entered into temptation; but God will also make a way out so that you do not perish in the temptation; so that like a potter’s jar you may be shaped by the preaching and fired into strength by the tribulation. But when you enter the temptation, bear in mind the way out: because God is faithful, God will watch over you and guard your going in and your coming out.

Furthermore, when this body has become immortal and imperishable, when all temptation has been done away with; because the body is dead – why is it dead? – Because of sin. But the spirit is life, because of justice. So do we leave the body dead, then? No, but listen: But if the Spirit of him who raised Christ from the dead dwells within you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies. So you see: now the body receives its life from the soul, but then it will receive it from the Spirit.

O! what a happy alleluia there, how carefree, how safe from all opposition, where nobody will be an enemy, where no-one will ever cease to be a friend! God’s praises sung there, sung here – here, by the anxious; there, by the carefree – here, by those who will die; there, by those who will live for ever – here, in hope; there, in reality – here, on our journey; there, in our homeland.

So now, my brethren, let us sing, not to delight our leisure, but to ease our toil. In the way that travellers are in the habit of singing, sing, but keep on walking. What does it mean, “keep on walking”? Go onward always – but go onward in goodness, for there are, according to the Apostle, some people who go ever onward from bad to worse. If you are going onward, you are walking; but always go onward in goodness, onward in the right faith, onward in good habits and behaviour. Sing, and walk onwards.

*ICEL: International Commision on English in the Liturgy, which is used in the official Liturgy of the Hours used in most English speaking parts of the world. The text quoted here is from an online version of the Divine Office at Universalis.com, which for reasons of copyright uses a different translation.