Thursday of Week 34 in Ordinary Time (Year II)
Saints Andrew Dũng-Lạc and his Companions, Martyrs
Apocalypse 18:1-2,21-23,19:1-3,9 | Psalm 99(100):2-5 | Luke 21:20-28
When [the signs of the end times] begin to take place, stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand. (Luke 21:28)
Eschatological literature – that which talks about the End Times – is generally disturbing, probably because it reminds us about our impending death, when it’s too late to right the many wrongs we may have committed over our existence.
But shouldn’t it be appreciated instead, as a warning that our time here is limited, so we’d best get on with whatever we need to get done?
✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞
Anyone who’s seen me knows I’m no spring chicken, and I’m slowly but surely feeling the effects of wear and tear on my frame. Daily exercise only serves to retard the effects; they’ll never fully reverse them, nor do I expect it to.
So I now go through each day knowing with blessed certainty that my travels here will come to an end, and that I’ll have only a short time left to practice what I preach. (And let’s be honest: It really feels like I’m preaching all through my blog, doesn’t it?)
“Wah biang eh, this guy very preachy man!”
If there’s one thing I’ve learned thus far in my faith journey, it’s this: There’s no reason to be ashamed of our faith in God, when our words and deeds are in agreement.
I said it yesterday, but I think it bears repeating: When we profess a faith that is contradicted by our actions, we have no right to be surprised when we’re attacked as Catholics for our hypocrisy. After all, when we claim to love all, we jolly well better show love to all, especially the lowly in our lives.
And when we fall short, there’s really only one Catholic (universally correct) response: Reconciliation (from the Latin reconciliare, literally “to bring back together”).
As Catholics, we’re called upon to:
- Reconcile our words and deeds, bringing them back into agreement.
- Reconcile ourselves with those whom we’ve hurt and offended, bringing us back together with thoughtful words and actions.
- Reconcile ourselves with those who’ve rightly criticized us, bringing us back together with heartfelt contrition for the hurt we’ve caused, thus convincing them of the rightness of our belief.
- Reconcile ourselves with our Heavenly Father, letting Him bring us back to Him through the instrument of this precious yet dreaded Sacrament.
Jesus may have reminded us to stand tall when Judgement Day arrives, but in Truth, we should be able to stand erect and hold our heads high every day, not with personal pride, but with the knowledge that we’re doing everything in our power to bring God’s kingdom to earth through our thoughts, words and deeds.
And if we can’t do so, it behooves us to reflect on the “why not”, and make the necessary corrections.
Interesting message, pity about the violence.
Amen.