Word to the Wise
Tuesday, October 29, 2013 - Tuesday in the 30th Week in Ordinary Time
[Rom 8:18-25 and Luke 13:18-21]I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us. For creation await with eager expectation the revelation of the children of God......
Generations of Dominicans remember with affection and amusement one of our philosophy professors who is quoted as saying, "It's hard to get the big picture when you're living inside the frame!" The passage from St. Paul's Letter to the Romans today points to a reality beyond our present particular lives that can give meaning to all of creation! His vision speaks to the restoration of creation from its "fallen" state under Adam to a redeemed state with Christ. In short, all of history finds its purpose and culmination in the death and resurrection of Christ! It is not just each one of us with our particular hopes and sufferings, all of creation is involved in one giant HOPE. Indeed, in the Second Letter to the Corinthians [2:5], Paul speaks of us as a "new creation!" We are part of a much bigger picture - a cosmic reality!
Perhaps this is asking too much of a Tuesday morning meditation when there are pressing local cares! Still, the psychologist, Viktor Frankl, a holocaust survivor, wrote of the importance of humans to find meaning in life. The Jesuit scientist/theologian, Teilhard de Chardin, pointed out how all of creation aims at this meaning in Christ. It may be hard to get outside the frame we are living in, but the effort will be richly rewarded. Whether or not we like it, we are part of God's tremendous plan of salvation! AMEN