LIVE FULLY… NOW
Malachi 3:19-20a; 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12; Luke 21:5-19
A warrior was struck by a poisonous arrow. His companions wanted to remove the arrow. But he would not allow them until he had answers to his questions: the characteristics of the shooter and his origins; the wood of the arrow; the bird from which the feathers came; the type of bow; the material of the bowstring. His companions cried out in frustration: “For heaven’s sake! Stop speculating and pull out the arrow!”
In this Sunday’s gospel, there is the speculative warrior in the people: they live in a present which is tense; they want to know when the end will happen and what signs will indicate the end.
Jesus lists three phenomena which people might assume are indicators of the end: persecution, the appearance of false messiahs, disasters. But he indicates that it is pointless to speculate when/ how the end will happen; it will happen “whenever”.
What is more important is our response to these happenings! We need not be afraid because the Lord will be with us; we ought not to be attached to transient structures; we must persevere and live fully with/ for God always. Then, it will be future perfect! “There will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays” (first reading).
In the second reading, St Paul gives us another response: hard work. Some Thessalonians were unwilling to work and were becoming a burden. Paul presents himself as a model and advises all to work hard and quietly!
Am I going to allow the speculative warrior in me to “wonder” about the future and the end of the world or will I “pull out the arrow” by working hard and living a full life?
Let us not re-live the past; not pre-live the future; let us live fully now. As Joan Borysenko writes: “The question is not whether we will die, but how we will live!”
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