"The days will come when you will long to see
one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.
There will be those who will say to you,
'Look, there he is,' or 'Look, here he is.'
Do not go off, do not run in pursuit.
For just as lightning flashes
and lights up the sky from one side to the other,
so will the Son of Man be in his day.
But first he must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation."
You'll know it when you see it! The Lord seems to say in this gospel. You needn't be running off in this or that direction, following every vague suggestion or serious crackpot about the end of the world. When that day comes, there'll be no doubt anywhere, whether you're in the city or countryside, at the equator or a polar cap. You'll know it.
More important than concerns about when he will come, we should recognize our longing for his coming. That aching feeling cannot be satisfied with silly rumors or idle suggestions. We want God's kingdom, especially as we hear in the daily news -- I should say minute by minute news-- of wars and rumors of war.
On October 31 of this year, the Catholic News Agency ran a story about Franciscan cardinal Mauro Piacenza and his response to the continual stream of tragedies. He said, "Peacemaking begins in our own hearts by reconciling with ourselves and God through the sacrament of confession."
If you want to do something effective to end war, practice penance. Go to confession. Fast, pray, and volunteer to do good works within your church, neighborhood, or community. Don't waste your time wringing your hands and listening to the same story hour after hour. Newscasters are only making money off your anxiety. How many times do you need to see the same explosion of the same bomb? The same baby rushed into a hospital? The same burnt out supermarket? That's not news. That's entertainment and your obsessive watching is voyeurism.
The world needs our sacred presence, and we become that urgently needed holy people as we admit that we're no better than anyone else. With the practice of penance we accompany the Lord who does penance with us. He has suffered greatly and been rejected by this generation. Let us go to die with him.
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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.