Jesus said to his disciples:
“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.
“Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man
With the suddenness of a winter storm, the end of the liturgical year, Thanksgiving and the first Sunday in Advent is upon us. What happened? Nothing out of the ordinary, just the routine flipping of pages on the calendar but there has been much to mark the passage of time. As I reflect on the past year, I realize how important is for me to enter into the quiet and to remind and renew my spirit of the true essence of time.
As we did last year, I would to walk through the Sundays of Advent with you, focusing each week on the theme of the Sunday Mass. It is important to not let the noise, tumult and, for some, the sadness of the season fill our conscious minds and emotions.
The Gospel passage for today cannot be more pertinent for this Sunday, the Sunday of hope. It points to the ultimate destiny of all of us, a destiny we long to embrace but, and there is a big but, there is also something else to overcome, fear.
The roaring of the seas will perplex us and perplexity will yield to fear. Even though I try live as instructed and invited, I am not spot on my performance. Who among us is? Is where I am close enough to the standards expected by God at the time of judgement? No. None of is nor can we ever be despite our best intentions.
So where do we find hope in the passage? Only in one sentence, just one can we find hope when he said: “But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.”
The promise redemption is at hand is the hook we need to seize. Everything else in the Gospels points and promises us there will be a redemption for us at the end of days. Even though it is easy to be fearful, he promises us in many places that we are not to be a afraid. We can leave the insecurities of the future to those who do not turn toward Holiness and move toward the fullness of union with Christ. We can rely upon the tender mercy of God in the midst of the storms of time.
The other important warning is to not let the anxieties of the day distract us. I am reminded to not let Christmas decorations, parties, gift giving or pointless displays of generosity not grounded in a Christian ethic distract me. Instead, I want to enter into a quiet period of prayer and service to others. The Christmas season brings great sorrow to my wife and I and to many others. There is no hope of healing from the sadness unless we remember God is coming to us as a man who like us, will experience all that we experience and promises us deliverance into a joyful eternity.
The Gospel passage for today cannot be more pertinent for this Sunday, the Sunday of hope. It points to the ultimate destiny of all of us, a destiny we long to embrace but, and there is a big but, there is also something else to overcome, fear.
The roaring of the seas will perplex us and perplexity will yield to fear. Even though I try live as instructed and invited, I am not spot on my performance. Who among us is? Is where I am close enough to the standards expected by God at the time of judgement? No. None of is nor can we ever be despite our best intentions.
So where do we find hope in the passage? Only in one sentence, just one can we find hope when he said: “But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.”
The promise redemption is at hand is the hook we need to seize. Everything else in the Gospels points and promises us there will be a redemption for us at the end of days. Even though it is easy to be fearful, he promises us in many places that we are not to be a afraid. We can leave the insecurities of the future to those who do not turn toward Holiness and move toward the fullness of union with Christ. We can rely upon the tender mercy of God in the midst of the storms of time.
The other important warning is to not let the anxieties of the day distract us. I am reminded to not let Christmas decorations, parties, gift giving or pointless displays of generosity not grounded in a Christian ethic distract me. Instead, I want to enter into a quiet period of prayer and service to others. The Christmas season brings great sorrow to my wife and I and to many others. There is no hope of healing from the sadness unless we remember God is coming to us as a man who like us, will experience all that we experience and promises us deliverance into a joyful eternity.
Lord, help us to enter to season of coming with hope.
No comments:
Post a Comment