Life can surprise us. Not just with a sudden tornado or hurricane, as stunning as they may be.
In a maternity hospital waiting room, a nurse announces to a man, “Congratulations! You have one boy." The man says, "Wow! How fortuitous! I'm president of CapitalOne!"
Later, the nurse says to a second man, “You have twins!" He replies, "What a coincidence! I own the Minnesota Twins!"
Another man starts crying, and the nurse asks, "What's wrong?" He says, "I work at Seven Up"!
Yes, God can be a God of surprising coincidences.
The book of Malachi takes us back in our imaginations to the fifth century before Jesus. The author proclaims a day of reckoning: on some future unknown day, God will punish the wicked and reward the good. To the point: God will hold each of us accountable for one's own behavior.
Paul, in his letter to the Christians in Thessaloniki in Greece, urges them to follow the example he sets. Paul not only preaches the Gospel but also earns his own living. “Imitate me,” Paul pleads. Don’t be freeloaders who goof off and grouse. Good advice.
In the Gospel, Jesus speaks of the destruction of Jerusalem’s Temple. Roman legions demolished the temple in 70 AD.
The Jews were in shock, in a sense as people were when terrorists demolished the World Trade Center in 2001.
Anyway, Jewish historian Josephus, who witnessed the Roman siege, tells of six thousand Jews perishing in the temple, and hundreds of thousands put to death, and almost one hundred thousand taken as prisoners.
For Luke, the end of Jerusalem was the prelude to the end of this world. The author uses apocalyptic imagery: wars and earthquakes, famines and plagues. Despite all this, Jesus counsels us to persevere in our life of discipleship.
So we come to the end of the liturgical year, a calendar reliving the story of our salvation. This begins with Advent: re-experiencing the hope of our forebears for a Messiah. Then Christmas -- the birth of the Messiah. Later through Lent to the dying and rising of Jesus at Easter, and finally, after Ordinary Time, Jesus Christ comes “in great power and glory.” Next Sunday we will crown him king of the universe.
Yes, we celebrate the story that begins on the first page of Genesis: “God created the heavens and the earth,” and ends in Revelation: “Come, Lord Jesus.” We await the second coming of Jesus Christ, when God will transform this universe into a glorious kingdom in all its fullness. How this will be, in fire or ice as Robert Frost describes in his remarkable poem, we don’t know.
But the question is not how. Rather, in the mystery of our own dying, perhaps suddenly or maybe gradually, are we ready to enter the dazzling light of Jesus Christ, gloriously alive, where we will see who we really are. That light will illuminate our better (or worse) selves.
Some of you may have read Harold Kushner’s book Living a Life That Matters. In forty years, Kushner ministered to many people in their last moments. Those who had the most trouble with death, he wrote, felt that if God would only give them more time, maybe they could do something that truly mattered. What worried them was not death, but the fear they would die without making a difference for the better.
Today's word of God asks you and me, are we ready to face the dazzling light of Jesus Christ? If not today, when will we be ready?
Ultimately, we will see who we are. That moment will come at a particular time on a particular day. We simply don’t know when. The key question is quality of life, not length of years.
Life is precious and can be short—there’s an urgency to live as best we can today. “Be prepared” is not simply a scout motto; it’s an everyday Christian motto.
What attitudes and behaviors do we have to change now to be the best version of ourselves? The beatitudes can be a good guide. Here’s one paraphrase; you may think of your own:
“If we strive to seek God in our daily lives;
if we readily spend time listening and consoling others
who look to us for support, for guidance, for compassion;
if we manage to heal wounds and build bridges;
if others see in us goodness, joy, and serenity;
and if we can see the good in everyone and seek the good for everyone,
blessed are we.”
Today’s word of God invites us to be prepared now to stand in the light of Jesus Christ gloriously alive. May the word inspire each one to value each day as a gift from God, and strive to become the best version of ourselves today. Amen!
