Dear Sisters and Brothers in Faith:
A couple of weeks ago we heard Jesus saying to his disciples that “. . .the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light. . .and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds. . .” In today’s selection from Luke’s gospel Jesus says, “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars. . .for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”
These dire warnings have led people over the centuries to look for signs of the end of time whenever some calamity occurs, be it a drought or heavy rainfall, a frigid winter or a long, hot summer. In former times an eclipse of the sun would worry people to the point of distraction. In our own recent days we have seen tremendous damage to life and property caused by volcanic eruptions and the resulting tsunamis. Then there is the damage we bring on ourselves through wars and senseless acts of terrorism.
One could ask, “When will it all end?” We Christian people already know the answer because our Lord and Savior told us, “. . .of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” It will all end in God’s own time and not one second sooner.
The challenge for you and me is to remain ready at all times for the second coming of the Lord. In the 1st century people like Saint Paul anticipated the return of Jesus within his very lifetime. As time passed, however, Paul began to realize that the return of Jesus and the end of the ages would come on God the Father’s schedule and that might not be for quite a while yet! It was at that point that the message became more like, “We are not sure when he will come back, but we should be ready at all times.”
Therefore, it behooves us to adopt a mode of living that reflects our belief in the Beatitudes as a way of life. We should treat everyone we meet as brother or sister. We should live our lives so that (in the words of that old hymn) “. . .they’ll know we are Christians by our love!”
I hope you have a Christ-filled week!
St. Vincent de Paul, pray for us!
May the Holy Spirit always be with you.
Deacon Mike