Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones
who call out to him day and night?
Will he be slow to answer them?
I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily.
But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
The Lord capped off his comical parable with a worried question, "But when he comes, will the Son of Man find faith on earth?"
His concern raises the same question in each of us, "Will I be found faithful when That Day arrives?"
I often discussed as a chaplain in the VA hospital the problem of freedom with the Veterans in the "substance abuse rehab" program. As Veterans, the men and women had their notions of freedom, which was often defined as, "Doing what I want to do."
I had to remind them that every human act has consequences; and regardless of your right or desire to do it, there will be repercussions and ramifications for which you are responsible. No deed can be undone; once it's happened, it's history. Veterans have an expression for that, "You can't unfire a gun."
Many hoped that they would never return to their abuse of substances -- alcohol, legal and illegal drugs, etc. -- and sometimes swore they certainly would not. But the intention of not doing something may be the easiest to forget. We are, in fact, from our birth as human beings, condemned to be free. We have no choice, and are given no choice about that.
Any Christian would love to give a reassuring reply to Jesus's question. They might insist, "I will be faithful, and you will find me eager and ready when you return!" But the Nazarite knew the curse of freedom even better than we do. He faced it daily as he made his journey to Jerusalem. Saint Luke tells us that even some Pharisees warned him, "“Go away, leave this area because Herod wants to kill you.”
He had a choice. But he had no choice; he was under obedience to God his Father.
Like the Lord we must practice that obedience daily. We have our routines of eating, sleeping, work, and leisure. We must also be vigilant in the practice of routine prayer. No Christian should be content with their occasional muttering, "Lord, Lord!" We must stop, return to our places, and assume our positions -- kneeling, sitting, or standing. We quiet our minds, and open our hearts in prayer.
I try to do this daily. Will I always do that? I do not know. God knows. But His Word tells me He will always make it possible for me.
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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.