Reflection.
How
do I react to this story? How do I feel about it? Does it make me fearful or
does it lift my heart?
What
memories does it invoke, painful or pleasant? How do I feel about the
characters, their actions, and the words they say? Who do I identify with or
whom do I reject?
This story is still happening today. Jesus is alive today in
people who face the future; no matter how bleak it may seem, with confidence in
God’s saving power. They read the signs of the times and accept that life will be
difficult but they do not panic in the face of adversity.
This story happens at some time or another in most people’s lives
when their whole world is thrown into confusion by the loss of employment or
the loss of a loved one and they need someone to be Jesus for them to lift them
out of their bewilderment and find the signs of spring in the midst of their
winter.
“In those days, after the time of distress, the sun will be
darkened, the moon will lose its brightness, the stars will come falling from
heaven and the powers in the heaven will be shaken.”
Have
you ever experienced a time of great change in your life when you had to let go
of your world as you knew it and for you it was a time of great distress, your
prayer was no longer life-giving and God seemed no longer to be near. But
gradually the signs of new life began to appear and now you realise that every
ending is the beginning of something new. What was this experience like for
you?
We thank you, Lord, for all those people who by their courage and
steadfastness in the face of persecution for their faith have been like the
sun, the moon and the stars in the heavens, giving light and example to others.
Their names are found written in the book and they will shine in the heavens
for all eternity.
Forgive us, Lord, for the times in our lives when we could only see the
sun darkened and the moon lose its brightness and we forgot your promise that
it was then that we should see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great
power and glory.
Grant us, Lord, the wisdom to find in to day's readings a message of
hope and encouragement, assuring us that even in our darkest hour you will not
abandon us but send your angels to gather us into your care and protection.
“But as for that day or hour, nobody knows it,
neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son; no one but the Father.”
Have you ever been worried or upset by people who claimed to know with
certainty when the world would end and wondered if you would be properly
prepared when the Son of Man would come in the clouds with great power and
glory. Does this passage worry you or does it give you confidence?
We thank you, Lord, for the people we know who are like the sun, moon
and stars, radiating light and warmth into the lives of all with whom they come
in contact. In the midst of tribulations and difficulties, their faith in a
saving and caring God never wavers, knowing that he is near, at the very gates
and that his words will not pass away.
Forgive us, Lord, for the times when we were full of fears and
questions about the end time, forgetting that it is all in your hands and that
when the Son of Man comes with great power and glory, he will gather his
faithful ones from the four winds, from the ends of the world to the ends of
heaven.
Grant, Lord, that as a Church in times of tribulation and darkness we
would put our trust in your promise that good will conquer evil and that we
would point to the signs of hope, seeing the twigs grow supple and the leaves
come out, telling us that summer is near.
“Take the fig tree as a parable; as soon as its twigs grow supple
and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near.”
Have you
ever brought hope once more into the life of a person who was depressed and
going through an end of the world experience, by helping them to see the
positive signs of growth in their lives and the many good qualities they had,
so that the twigs once more began to grow supple and the leaves to come out.
I thank you,
Lord, for the grace of being able to help someone when their sun was darkened
and their moon lost its brightness though illness or bereavement or loss of
employment. Once more they began to believe in themselves and face their
difficulties with hope. Like the fig tree their twigs grew supple and their
leaves came out and summer once more came into their lives.
Forgive us,
Lord, for the times when we abandoned people who could see no hope for the
future in their lives because of adversity or depression. We failed to be a
sign for them that would bring a glimmer of light into their lives and help to
dispel their darkness, bringing the hope of summer into their winter.
Grant, Lord,
that as individuals and as a Church we would become a sign of hope to people
suffering persecution and war and that we would bring your presence with us
into their lives, so that they would know that you are near, at the very gates.
Updated by Br. Dick
Burke 8/11/2009.