Thoughts on the Second Coming

 

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Luke 12:32–48 (or 12:35–40)

Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus urges us to be ready for his Second Coming. It reminds me of John the Baptist preparing us: “Make straight the way of the Lord.” He is saying that his job is to prepare for the mighty coming of the Lord. A change is coming, a revolution is on the way, a disaster (the destruction of the old) is about to happen. Prepare the way of the Lord. And what is the manner of preparation? It is a baptism of repentance. Baptism—an immersion in water—reminded first-century Jews of the Exodus, passing through the Red Sea, leaving the ways of slavery behind.  And repentance (metanoia)—going beyond the mind that you have. How our minds are conditioned by the fallen world! How our expectations are shaped, stunted by what has gone before. The world of Tiberius and Pilate and Herod and Caiaphas has shaped our imagination. It’s time, John is saying, for a new mind, a new set of eyes, a new kind of expectation. God is about to act! Be ready!  Bishop Robert Barron

Thoughts on the "Signs of the times"

Looking at the “signs of the times” these days, one might conclude that they are times of great disillusionment, doubt, and frustration for many in our country and in our world. Hope seems to have fled the lives of a many around us. In such times, faith takes on a special significance.  Our readings from scripture this Sunday point us in the direction of faith—in times such as these.

A dear Jesuit friend and companion of mine, John Kavanaugh, S.J., once had the opportunity to be with Mother Teresa of Calcutta. He asked her to pray for him—that he might have clarity. She said no. She said he should instead pray for trust.

Sometimes our deepest desires and our deepest frustrations or disappointments can reveal to us the place where we most need to trust. They reveal a vision, a longing for what we believe God wants for us, and for all—especially for those suffering the most.

 Jesus, in the world of his day, seemed unable to change any of the “big issues” that we might have expected him to address. He put his trust in God, prayed as a “beloved son,” did not let disillusionment defeat him. Amid the prospect of impending destruction and death he was transfigured and glorified, that we might know that faith and love—and hope—are the pathway to the fullness of life we yearn for.



The Letter to the Hebrews refers to being surrounded by a cloud of witnesses, and we can be grateful to be surrounded by that cloud on our journey!

Len Kraus, S.J.

Thoughts on the Transfiguration

 

Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

Luke 9:28b–36

Friends, today’s Gospel recounts the story of the Transfiguration. Here, the glorified Jesus represents the fulfillment of the Old Testament revelation, symbolized by Moses, representing the Law, and Elijah, representing the prophets. Let’s look at the two basic divisions. God gave the Torah, the Law, to his people, in order that they might become a priestly people, a holy nation, a people set apart, in the hopes that they would then function as a sort of magnet to the rest of the world. But the Law didn’t take. From the very beginning, the people turned away from its dictates and became as bad as the nations around them. And then the prophets. Over and again we hear the call to be faithful to the Torah, to follow the ways of the Lord. The prophets turn on Israel itself repeatedly, reminding her of her sinfulness. And then came Jesus, God and man. Jesus did what no hero of Judaism had ever done: fulfilled the Law, remained utterly obedient to the demands of the Father, even to the point of laying down his life. He brought the Torah and the prophets thereby to fulfillment. Bishop Robert Barron

Thoughts on water

 

Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Matthew 14:22–36

Friends, our Gospel today is the story of Jesus walking on the water. Water is, throughout the Scriptures, a symbol of danger. At the very beginning, the Spirit of the Lord hovered over the surface of the waters. This signals God’s lordship over all of the powers of disorder.  The boat, with Peter and the other disciples, is evocative of the Church. It moves through the waters, as the Church will move through time. Storms—chaos, corruption, stupidity, danger, persecution—will inevitably arise.  Now, during the fourth watch of the night, which is to say the darkest time of the night, Jesus comes walking on the sea. This is meant to be an affirmation of his divinity: just as the Spirit of God hovered over the waters at the beginning, so Jesus hovers over them now. So he says to his terrified disciples: “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” But even more than that: You can participate in my power. “Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.” This is the story of all the saints. Bishop Robert Barron

Thoughts on redirection

 

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Luke 12:13–21

Friends, today in our Gospel, Jesus tells of a rich man who has been so successful that he doesn’t have enough space to store his harvest. So he tears down his barns and builds bigger ones. But that very night, he dies—and all of it comes to naught. “Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to God.” No matter how good, how beautiful a state of affairs is here below, it is destined to pass into nonbeing. That sunset that I enjoyed last night—that radiantly beautiful display—is now forever gone. It lasted only a while. That beautiful person—attractive, young, full of life, creative, joyful—will eventually age, get sick, break down, and die. An image that always comes to mind when I think of these things is the gorgeous firework that bursts open like a giant flower and then, in the twinkling of an eye, is gone forever. Everything is haunted by nonbeing. Everything, finally, is a bubble. But this is not meant to depress us; it is meant to redirect our attention precisely to the things that are “above,” to the eternity of God. Bishop Robert Barron

Thoughts on creation

 

Creation Care

When we contemplate creation rather than manipulating it, we are able to see nature as a gift of God to be cherished and cared for. When we receive in our hearts with gratitude and awe what God has created, we see nature as it truly is – a transcendent reality that asks for reverence and respect. Then it becomes transparent, and life starts to speak a new language, revealing to us the goodness and beauty of God. The plants and animals with whom we live teach us about birth, growth, maturation, and death, about the need for gentle care, and especially about the importance of patience and hope.

“In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.”   - Psalm 102: 25

Thoughts on gratitude

“Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me!”

Sound familiar? Many of us have either experienced such a “family problem” or know someone who has. The stories are always sad ones. Our scripture readings this Sunday address one of the elements of our human condition: our search for security and happiness—and the wisdom needed to achieve true joy.

We do have needs—and   wants. It is part our human nature to seek security, but we can be overtaken by what our wisdom reading from Ecclesiastes calls vanity of vanities, the foolishness of greed: “Even at night my mind is not at rest.”

When someone in the crowd confronts Jesus with the question about the dispute over an inheritance, He refuses to intervene and instead tells a parable about someone who is filled with greed and is lost in his desire for gaining more and more possessions. The unthinking man (this is the gospel word in Greek for “fool”) is going to surrender it all when he departs this world.  The words of Jesus ring out: “Become rich in what matters to God.”

Gratitude replaces greed, and our readings this week offer us an opportunity to ponder what it means to be “rich in the sight of God.” (We can imagine Simeon in the Temple as he gratefully holds the baby Jesus in his arms: “I have enough—I have you, Lord.” )

Our celebration of the feast of St. Ignatius this week might be a good reminder that our goal is to find God in  every  thing—and everyone.



“Give me only your love and your grace, this is enough for me!”

Len Kraus, S.J.