Mal 3:19-20a
2 Thes 3:7-12
Lk 21:5-19
Hurry up and wait. It’s a saying I have heard before, but I always wondered what it meant. It seems nonsensical, but I think I get it now. I think what that saying is telling us is to be prepared for what is coming, but don’t be anxious about it. Get ready and wait, so that when the big event, whatever it may be, happens, you won’t be caught by surprise. Be ready for it, just don’t be anxious about its arrival. This is very much what Paul, or the author of 2 Thessalonians, is telling the Thessalonians. Too many have interpreted this passage with its famous saying, “if anyone was unwilling to work, neither should that one eat,” to be a condemnation of the poor. If those lazy bums don’t want to work, then let them starve. But that’s not what Paul is saying at all. The people of that time lived in a state of imminent expectation. They expected the Christ to return, not eventually, but now. They truly expected that Christ would come any day, any minute. With the return of the Lord so close, worldly concerns seemed trivial. Why worry about what might happen tomorrow when tomorrow might not happen. But one cannot ignore the concerns of this world in anticipation of the next. Even if the “end is at hand” life goes on until it happens. That is what the author meant, keep working, keep waiting, be ready, but keep living. Some of us today find ourselves in that same situation. Too many are shouting “the end is near.” Why worry about this world when the next is about to fall on us. I recall first encountering this mentality about 35 years ago with the arrival of a book called The Late, Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey. The end is coming it said, and coming in our lifetime. Stop worrying about everything else. The condition of this world is unimportant, because soon it won’t be here. This cottage industry of predicting the end has blossomed, reaching its culmination in the Left Behind series of books. It’s an easy thing to swept up in, but avoid the temptation. Yes, as we approach the end of Ordinary Time we will hear much about the last days, but listen to what Christ says.
“See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,' and 'The time has come.' Do not follow them!”
This expectation of the end becomes an excuse to not do anything about now. We can’t forget that our expectation for the world to come is tied to the world we live in. Yes, Christ will come again, someday. When that day is no one, not you, not me, not anyone else, knows. It could indeed be tomorrow or it could be 10,000 years from tomorrow. That is not for us to concern ourselves with. Our concern is this world, caring for it, caring for those who live in it. We make ready for the return of Christ by taking care of things here and now. We do indeed need to be prepared. We also need to remember to keep living. We need to hurry up, and wait.
Deacon John
33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Nov. 18, 2007
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1 comment:
Great words to live by John and as for ‘get a life’ no one as really said it to my face except maybe a few of my daughters with a smile that is, but the thoughts that some people were, was so strong that there’s times when I believed that I could literally hear them tell me to get a life/ (lol).
As for anxieties about the end of the world coming I’ve had many of them but as you said in so many words, we must put them aside and go on living each day but sadly for some it’s easier said then done. A few days ago I heard of a three murder family suicide here in Canada and although I don’t know all the fact, it’s obvious to me that the anxiety of waiting was too much for at least one of them but I could be wrong and God only knows.
What’s kept me going is prayer and at time when my heart and mind teamed UP into one mutual thought, on occasions the honestly was too much that I had no choice but to pass it all to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and He literally took it all from me. He seems to have now convinced me that my waiting is not for nothing. Call it Faith or call it crazy but again the honestly that God takes our pass and our future and if we so chooce, His Angels will wrap the good stuff UP into a beautiful gift and then give it to US, usual sinners, usual souls, usual spirits and if we believe we are usually saved. After God’s Angels get to examine our daily pass and daily future, and as I said above, They then give it all back to US as one beautiful Present. The spiritual wise who are strong enough personally give it to God to invest and then start every day doing the same until He comes back in glory to judge the living and the death and His kingdom will have no end so you see if you believe me then our waiting is not in vain because we are collecting what we sow.
I had a deep thought when I was about 13 years old which I’ve never shared with anyone before, not even our good Bishop because it was so deep that I thought I heard a voice saying in so many word that I could be anything I wanted to be and if I ran into problem, all I had to do was rest.
I think that I’ve shared in my writing maybe 10% of my fine tunning and I can almost hear some of our family saying, Amen to that! There’s times when even I must agree with them.
Spiritual fact to me at this time are that went Our Heavenly Father forgives someone sins, it is one of the Greatest Gifts or Blessing that can bestowed on any Men and/or Women because they actually start to believe that they are gods. What many of these gods forgot to do was to hurry up and continue doing what they were doing when they received their blessing, instead many of them cashed in their chips and went back to their old way of living which caused a lot of wars. What our Heavenly Father gives, He never takes away and to make a long story short, these gods got to keep the slaves that they already had accumulated during their eternity and many of these gods are still gods to be reckoned with like rats and not too many humans would even there go into their temple and make fun of their way of life if they know what’s good for them!
I’ll try closing by saying that if we plant just one spiritual mustard seed a day with Jesus’ Help we’ll have all we need to conquer the whole world and succeed but God The Trinity does not work that way and as we know He proved it on His Cross and showed that He’s All Love.
Keep Up The Good Work John and please keep praying for this sometime poor sick sinner who doesn’t know when to stop preaching in other people's Blog.
Thank You and God Bless.
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