Jesus
prediction seems pretty frightening. In
the 1st reading, God sounds mean and/or angry.
He’s
not mean. He might be angry, in an okay
and holy way.
Anger
(my advice during Confession).
Have
you ever noticed how people “go off” on social media nowadays about some
perceived injustice or whatever other thing makes them angry, and they are praised
for it? I find that an interesting
contrast to the times in Scripture when God appears angry (for the right
reasons and the right causes) and yet we might be quick to write it off or
brush it away.
God
wants to set things right. God will
set things right. We will like it (or
not like it) inasmuch as we have been doing things right. If we are, then there’s nothing to be afraid
of, but rather only something to rejoice in: But for you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with
its healing rays.
The
final exam of life is an open-book test.
St. Teresa of Kolkata (“Mama T” as we called her in college) puts the
answer “in our hands” we might say, with these 5-words from the parable of the
sheep and the goats: “You did it to me”
But
it’s not about knowing the answers, it’s about living them.
The
saints are great examples for us. They
lived the answers of the final exam. (2nd reading): Brothers and sisters: You know how one must
imitate us. For we did not act in a disorderly way among you... we
wanted to present ourselves as a model for you, so that you might
imitate us.
For
Advent, you are invited to study our patroness.
Please consider learning from her how to love like Jesus in our world today. The book is phenomenal. I was actually reading it when Bishop Rhoades
met with me to ask me to be pastor here.
It was a sign to me of God’s hand at work.
Get
ready for the final exam, for we know not the day nor the hour. You know the anwers to the test (you did it
to me). Let Jesus consume you when you receive
Him today in the Eucharist. Then you
have nothing to fear in this life.
