According to a report from Airlines for America (A4A), this summer’s traveling season is expected to hit an all-time high with more than 231 million air travelers who will fly the friendly skies (Source: brooklyneagle.com). Perhaps you will be one of them. While many people these days purchase their airline tickets online before they arrive at the airport for departure, there have been other options used in the past including by telephone, in-person, or even the risky option of being on “standby.” What’s “standby?” It’s a combination of hoping and praying that not enough passengers show up to make a full flight, which means there is an empty seat(s) available for a “standby” to take. This can be done either by trying to get on an earlier flight than planned, catching a late flight, or just taking the gamble to get to your vacation spot, for example, without a guarantee that you will even get off the ground, let alone get to your destination…Quite risky! In the past, airline companies offered “standbys” free of charge. While some airlines have done away with standbys, as of April 2010, most U.S. airlines now charge for “standbys” with a $50-$75 fee being the standard, discounted rate (Source: Wikipedia).
While flying “standby” could earn you substantial savings and be a lower-risk option if one was not in a hurry to meet a deadline, in the spiritual life it would be one of the go-to options. Why? Being on standby for God means there is a willingness to wait patiently for answers when we might fall into the temptation to want to rush through something. Being on standby for God also involves careful thought and prayer along with a heart of docility (openness). We are to wait for God to work in our lives and inspire our hearts to take initiative so as to act in accordance with His design, His divine plan, and His will. This can be contrary to the present culture that wants things done fast and now without much thought for delayed gratification. At times the modern mindset seems to want to take initiative but often fails to invite God into the equation about the next decisions to be made in life, especially if those decisions are gigantic ones like buying a house or choosing a life vocation like marriage or the priesthood/religious life. As a result, we can be left restless, unhappy, and disappointed.
Are we on stand-by for God to lead us on to the next step of our spiritual journey to perform as something as simple as an act of charity, or not? If we are, then great! If we aren’t, then maybe we need to take a step back and take a breather with the Lord. Perhaps it’s time to slow down our lives to pray and to ask what the Lord wants us to do, rather than tell Him what to do or what we want. It’s about his will, not ours. Didn’t Jesus say in the Agony in the Garden, “not as I will but as you (Father) will” (Mt. 26:39)? While we all experience agonies in life, how many unnecessary agonies did we experience, because we didn’t involve or ask God? Even one is too many. Imagine the agony we would have saved ourselves if we only sought out God first. God knows what we need better than we do, and the Father wants what’s best for us. If only we would turn to Him…more!
Lord Jesus, may your will be done in our busy and distracting world. We love you. We need you, and we want you in our lives. Jesus, you said, “Without me, you can do nothing” (Jn. 15:5). You’re right. Without you, Jesus, we can do nothing. Help us to let go of our attachments. We hand you our pride. We turn over our sins to you, and we entrust our wills to yours. We stand by waiting for your next signal and for prompting grace of the Holy Spirit in our hearts so that we may be ready to take bold action in bringing about the Kingdom as we eagerly anticipate your Second Coming. While it may be risky to be on standby at the airport, it is a good spiritual investment to be on standby for Jesus which also involves risks, but ones worth taking. Enjoy your summer air travel!
– Fr. Jeff
"Speak The Truth with Love," A Catholic Blog by Fr. Jeff Allan 