33RD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME C
HOW TO FACE THE END
There is a war in Syria. Does it
affect us?
There is an earthquake in
Mindanao? Did it frighten us?
A violent storm swept through
Tokyo? Were we disturbed?
People are getting killed, pushed
away, maltreated everywhere. What do we care?
The Lord Jesus speaks of the
things that must happen in the world before the end.
Wars, calamities, injustices,
violence…
It doesn’t affect us though
because we feel they are so far from our experience.
But these things do happen near
us too…
There are wars between family
members. There are tremors in
relationships with co-workers and friends. There are bumps along the road of
our dreams, our health, our careers. People hate us, malign us, threaten us.
and we do not feel peace…
These things do not signal the
end of the world but they do predict the end of “our” world. And we feel
exposed, weak, and vulnerable.
A lady used to be the boss of a
very large office. She had many people working for her. She cared for everyone
of them. She gave them hope.
One day, after her retirement,
she noticed she had no more money to give. She became sick with cancer. Nobody
visited her anymore. Nobody invited her to join activities any longer. Nobody
wanted to help her with her needs. She lived in fear of the pain of passing
away unnoticed.
The Lord tells us that “by your
perseverance you will secure your lives.” What does it mean? How does this help
us confront the personal disturbances, disarray and distress that life brings
us?
It is an invitation to continue
to believe
… that God will not abandon us
… that prayers are heard
it is an invitation to hope
… that God is faithful even if
people fail us
… that God is powerful, more than
all our problems
it is an invitation to love
… through remembrance of people
in our prayers
… through forgiveness of those
who hurt us
Even if we cannot do something
about the things outside of us, we can surely do something about the things
within us.
Nothing can rob us of the
decision to believe to hope and to love.
This is what “perseverance”
means.
We may be powerless today. But
something good is happening to the person who trusts in the Lord. In God’s
time, his mercy will prevail in our lives.
Thank you Lord for the gift of
perseverance.
(remember to share this post.
Thanks.)
