Friends,
in today’s Gospel Jesus uses apocalyptic language from the prophet
Daniel: “On earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of
the sea and the waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of
what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be
shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming
in a cloud with power and great glory.”
I
realize how strange and distant all of this can sound, but there is a
spiritual point of enormous significance behind all of it: we should not
trust in any of the powers of the world to give us security and peace.
Such peace will come only with the arrival of God’s kingdom.
One
of the most enduring convictions of human beings—you can see it up and
down the centuries
and across the cultures—is that we can make things right if only we find
the correct political, economic, or cultural configuration. But you
should never put your ultimate faith in any of the kingdoms, social
arrangements, or political programs of the world. They are all, in one
way or another, attractive, and they are all destined to fall. They all
lead to tribulations.
What
you should look to is the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven.
Now, is this meant in an ultimate sense? Yes, the second coming signals
the end of the world as we know it. But the Son of Man is coming on the
clouds of heaven even now in the life of the Church. Think of the clouds
of incense that accompany the manifestations of Christ in the high
liturgy. Even now the true king, the successor of David,
is in our midst.
Thursday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 506
I, John, saw another angel coming down from heaven,
having great authority,
and the earth became illumined by his splendor.
He cried out in a mighty voice:
"Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great.
She has become a haunt for demons.
She is a cage for every unclean spirit,
a cage for every unclean bird,
a cage for every unclean and disgusting beast."
A mighty angel picked up a stone like a huge millstone
and threw it into the sea and said:
"With such force will Babylon the great city be thrown down,
and will never be found again.
No melodies of harpists and musicians,
flutists and trumpeters,
will ever be heard in you again.
No craftsmen in any trade
will ever be found in you again.
No sound of the millstone
will ever be heard in you again.
No light from a lamp
will ever be seen in you again.
No voices of bride and groom
will ever be heard in you again.
Because your merchants were the great ones of the world,
all nations were led astray by your magic potion."
After this I heard what sounded like
the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying:
"Alleluia!
Salvation, glory, and might belong to our God,
for true and just are his judgments.
He has condemned the great harlot
who corrupted the earth with her harlotry.
He has avenged on her the blood of his servants."
They said a second time:
"Alleluia! Smoke will rise from her forever and ever."
Then the angel said to me, "Write this:
Blessed are those who have been called
to the wedding feast of the Lamb."
Jesus said to his disciples:
"When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies,
know that its desolation is at hand.
Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains.
Let those within the city escape from it,
and let those in the countryside not enter the city,
for these days are the time of punishment
when all the Scriptures are fulfilled.
Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days,
for a terrible calamity will come upon the earth
and a wrathful judgment upon this people.
They will fall by the edge of the sword
and be taken as captives to all the Gentiles;
and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles
until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
"There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars,
and on earth nations will be in dismay,
perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves.
People will die of fright
in anticipation of what is coming upon the world,
for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
And then they will see the Son of Man
coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
But when these signs begin to happen,
stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand."
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment