Rise early: Seek first the Kingdom of God

		Living the Scriptures  with St. Paul University  Catholic Center  Andre Lesperance

"Early in the morning, Moses went up Mount Sinai as the LORD commanded him . . ."

I am not a morning person. Or am I? What does that really mean? If it means I wake up early in the morning with ease, and happily jump out of bed eager to start my day, then I'm definitely not a morning person.

I always need an alarm clock, and the snooze bar can be simultaneously my best friend and worst enemy. There are few pleasures greater than the comfort of my pillow-top Sealy Posture-pedic bed when it is 6 a.m. and 10 degrees warmer under the covers than in the rest of the room.

Holy Trinity Sunday (May 22, 2005) Ex 34:4b-6, 8-9 Ps Dn 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56 2 Cor 13:11-13 Jn 3:16-18

Nonetheless, I can't deny that when I do get up early to start my day by spending time with the Lord, there are remarkable rewards. If I can just get myself through those initial three torturous minutes of being awake, I find that it is one of the most peaceful, beautiful, prayerful times of my day.

Now I don't know if the Lord's calling Moses up Mount Sinai "early in the morning" is significant, but I do believe that it could be. Mornings seem to have been important for many people in the Bible.

Psalm 119 proclaims, "I am awake before dawn to cry for help I put my hope in your word. My eyes are awake before each watch of the night to ponder your promise."

Wisdom 16:28: "to give you thanks, we must rise before the sun and meet you at the dawning of the day." Even Jesus himself needed some early morning quiet times: "Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed" (Mk 1:35).

St. Ambrose, in his commentary on Psalm 119, put it this way: "If you anticipate the sun in its rising, you will receive Christ as a light; while you reflect, it will become light; in early morning, hurry to church and render in homage the fruits of your devotion. Then, if the duties of the world call you, nothing will stop you from saying, 'My eyes await the watch of night to meditate on your promises,' and with your conscience aright, you may go about your affairs."

	Reflection questions • Do I take time every day to quiet myself and seek the Lord through prayer and Scripture? • Might I benefit from rising a bit earlier to "ponder God's promises" at the beginning of each day?

These are motivating words for me; enough so for me to deny my inclination to sleep late, and to rise early to seek the Lord at such a privileged time of day. "Morning person" or not, it truly makes a difference to me when I strive to "seek first the Kingdom of God" (Mt. 6:33) day in and day out.

Andre Lesperance works at St. Paul University Catholic Center as Coordinator of Small Groups and Undergraduate Ministries. He graduated from UW-Madison in 2003 and married his wife Jackie in October of 2004.

St. Paul's Web site is www.stpaulscc.org

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