Word to the Wise
Friday, November 27, 2020 - Friday in the 34th Week in Ordinary Time
[Rev 20:1-4, 11-21:2 and Luke 21:29-33,579]Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. [Revelation] "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away." [Luke]
Both the Book of Revelation and the Gospel According to Luke were composed to comfort and encourage Christian communities under persecution. There were two dangers associated with this situation. One of them was to develop a kind of "fatigue" with "keeping the faith." Christian faith, as St. Paul reminds us in First Corinthians, is like running a race. One has to stay in shape, and the reward is far greater than something an athlete achieves. [1 Cor. 9:24-27]. The second danger is to read too much into current events and conclude that the Lord is about to come. This kind of thinking can lead to ignoring the daily tasks of caring for one another.
The end of the liturgical year is not the end of time! But it does serve as a reminder to us to "keep the faith" and that there is an ultimate accountability for our lives. With the beginning of the new liturgical year and the Advent/Christmas season we have the opportunity to once more understand the reason why we have hope, live faithfully and look forward to life with God in the new heavens and new earth. AMEN