Mk 13:24-32
Dear Friends.
As we come to the conclusion of each Church year we have a message about the end of the world. It is always dramatically different than the sensationalist message we hear every several months from one crazy group or another. The Gospel message is clear. We do not know and we will not know so we need to keep vigil. All other speculation is useless. Today’s narrative is best understood as an invitation to vigilance and preparedness in how we live and wait for the coming of the Son of Man.
However, there is another dimension to today’s Gospel message that fits very well with human experience. It refers to a common occurrence we all have. There are sudden and dramatic changes in our life that come from sickness, death, failure of personal relations, economic disaster or the like. When these things happen, it seems as if our world has come an end. We have to face up to a new reality that is frightening and strange.
One of the most powerful events of this kind for me was a deeply traumatic experience of my sister, Mary. She found herself the mother of six children in less than the span of eight years. One morning her husband woke up with severe pain in his stomach. Several weeks later she was a young widow as the ravaging cancer took her husband away. With his death also gone were her world that centered on his love and support.
Mary was totally overwhelmed. For six weeks she could hardly get out of bed. Finally, one day she faced up to the new world. As a woman of deep faith, she took on the task of raising her children. She did a totally fantastic job overcoming all kinds of obstacles including having six teenagers all at the same time. Any mother would rejoice to have the young adults that came from that family.
This is a clear example of what the Gospel tells us what we need to do when our world seems to be devastated. This is something that is going to happen to all of us more than a few times in our lifetime.
Today’s Gospel says that when you see all these things happening ”then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds.” (Mk 13:26) That means when our personal world falls apart, and the bottom drops out of our lives, we will be able to see past the ugliness and to see through the pain to the ultimate reality of things. Despite appearances, God is still in charge, still cares, still has the power to make things right and still intends to do just that -in God’s good time!
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