29 November 2018
Thursday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
“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” (Lk 21:25-26).
Take a moment and imagine the scene in this Word of God, applying it not to some distant fantastical land, but to the world that we know and live in. What might the fulfillment of this prophecy look like? What would it look like for there to be signs in the natural world around us? Or for the nations to be in dismay? Or for us to be perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves? And what might cause people to die (or euthanize themselves) out of fright at what is to come? And what might make it seem as if the powers of heaven itself are shaken? What does that look like, not for some early Christian, not for some person close or far away, but for you?
This Word, like all of scripture, is Good News. It conveys to us the love, the freedom, and the victory over evil that Christ offers us. Do I believe this? Can I believe this? Do I have the courage to receive this Good News as being truly good news? For Jesus says, “when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand” (Lk 21:28). Do not be afraid, for nothing can overcome the love of Christ. And that love is offered for you. Stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.