Stay awake! For you do not know when the Son of Man will come.
During these last days of the liturgical year the scriptures remind us of the necessary coming of God's kingdom, and the judgement that must precede it.
Every Christian knows they stand under judgement, and this is a part of our message to every human being. Our decisions are not just our own; they have consequences that ring through the ages, and we will answer for those consequences. The weight of our freedom and its burden of responsibility would be too much but for the promise of God's mercy.
The Book of Daniel is an apocalyptic book. It is laden with the assurance of God's sovereign rule of the Earth and all human beings. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon cannot imagine the trouble he has brought upon himself, his descendants, and his empire by the destruction of Jerusalem. Nor can he, for that matter, realize that he is acting simply as God's punishing hand against the holy city and its unfaithful people. His theft of the sacred chalices and plates, as small as it seems in the routine looting that follows every victory, is sacrilege; and God will not forget the insult to His holiness.The Gospel also reminds us of God's all-seeing eye as Jesus watches some wealthy people
putting their offerings into the treasury. If they are donating to the temple, they are also looting it as they carry away the admiration of fools.
The Gospels warn us not to judge other people; that is God's prerogative. But the Gospels do not deny that we're all under judgement; and, as creatures made in God's image, we do judge others. That fact of human nature should warn anyone -- and the powerful in particular -- that, "You are being judged by One who has the right to do so!"
The powerful may glare at others as they go about their business, and dare anyone to speak a word against them, but the judgement is being made. As Jesus said in the Gospel of Saint Luke,
“There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops."
We are warned, and we are grateful for the warning. It too is a sign of God's mercy.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.