Scripture:
Reflection:
I’ll bet we have all seen pictures of hooded and robed people walking with signs that warn, “Repent, the end is near!” Or, how about, “The world is going to end soon”? Well, while their timing may be off, they are not entirely wrong, as a matter of fact. And our reading for today, taken from the Gospel of Luke, reminds us of something that we almost never pay attention to that, one day, the world as we know and experience it will one day cease to exist. There is an end time awaiting us all in one way or another, and the question is, are we ready for it? Are we prepared to face this second coming of Jesus, whether that be in the world itself or even in our own lives?
In the 17th chapter of Luke’s Gospel, Jesus is sitting with his disciples and talking with them about what is called “the end times,” i.e. the end of the world and the second coming of Jesus as the victorious and risen Lord. It will be a time not only of vindication and the revelation of the glory of the Lord, but it will also be a time of judgment and accounting. Jesus shares this truth with his disciples, there is no question about it. He will come again and there will be a reckoning of how we, his disciples, have served the Lord and lived out his Gospel mandate. In addition, we do not know the day nor the hour when this will take place. But there is little doubt to be sure, it will happen! And what matters is that we are ready for the moment and are not found wanting.
Now, there are other stories similar to the one we find in Luke. For example, Matthew, chapter 25, uses the image of a bridegroom returning home and the warning that we must be ready for his return and not be caught foolishly without enough oil for our lamps to greet him. These are reminders that we are all called to be prepared to meet the Lord and to give an account of ourselves and how we have lived out the teaching of Jesus. How do we do this? Clearly, we are called to pay attention to the Lord and not to the foolish distractions of the world. But there is a gift in all of this, and that gift is that, if we choose day by day, to live as Jesus has taught us, to love our neighbor, to love everyone in fact, and to love God above all else, then we will be prepared for whatever is to come and need not live in doubt, worry, or fear. I think this is what the dearly loved Gospel song means when we sing the words, “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine, O what a foretaste of glory divine!” There is that great assurance that all will be well and that there is nothing to fear. This is truly good news for us today, isn’t it? We are all called to live in the joy of the Lord and not in fear of what is to come.
A closing prayer to one of the psalms in evening prayer says it all very well. Let us pray:
You watch over heaven and earth, Lord Jesus. Your death brought light to the dead; your resurrection gave joy to the saints; your ascension made the angels rejoice. Your power exceeds all power. Lead us to life eternal and watch over us with your love…Amen.
Fr. Pat Brennan, C.P. is the director of Saint Paul of the Cross Passionist Retreat and Conference Center, Detroit, Michigan.