WATCHWORD:
1 As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds, his disciples came along and wanted to take him on a tour of the various Temple buildings.2 But he told them, “All these buildings will be knocked down, with not one stone left on top of another!” 3 “When will this happen?” the disciples asked him later, as he sat on the slopes of the Mount of Olives. “What events will signal your return and the end of the world?” 4 Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone fool you. 5 For many will come claiming to be the Messiah and will lead many astray. 6 When you hear of wars beginning, this does not signal my return; these must come, but the end is not yet. 7 The nations and kingdoms of the earth will rise against each other, and there will be famines and earthquakes in many places. 8 But all this will be only the beginning of the horrors to come.9 Then you will be tortured and killed and hated all over the world because you are mine, 10 and many of you shall fall back into sin and betray and hate each other. 11 And many false prophets will appear and lead many astray. 12 Sin will be rampant everywhere and will cool the love of many. 13 But those enduring to the end shall be saved.14 And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it, and then, finally, the end will come. Matthew 24:1-14
Meditation:
God Bless the Pandemic
God bless the pandemic? Are you crazy? Who could imagine anything that would have brought our entire world to its knees? Even in times of war, that had a tragic effect on regions of the world, there were places untouched by the fighting. What happened to us in the midst of the pandemic was a common denominator throughout the entire world. We could empathize with far reaching areas because we were in the same pain, the same grief.
If you read all of Matthew 24, you could come away feeling pretty depressed. You might even ask yourself is the pandemic all part of “the horrors to come”? Are we on the verge of “The Rapture”, are we in the midst of the Tribulation that will signal the return of Jesus Christ? I have heard the argument that global warming is not man-made, but it comes from God as part of the Tribulation. Really?
I must confess that I know very little about The Rapture or the Tribulation. I haven’t a clue as to when Christ will return, only the firm belief that Christ is God, and we are His and whether He comes to us or we go to Him, it would be His call.
Listening to Dr. David Jeremiah recently, speaking on Matthew 24, stated that from a theological standpoint, there are no signs for the rapture or the tribulation. God is in the pandemic, according to Jeremiah, and he argues that this trying time has opened our eyes to new and important things. So, I wonder what did we learn, that would carry God’s blessings?
Among the men of our Bible study there’s agreement that, due in part to the Pandemic, our prayer life has changed, has deepened. We have been more aware of lifting others in prayer. The awareness of our own limitations, maybe because of quarantines, social distance or masks, has opened our eyes to the restrictions that cause others to suffer, and we have sought ways to serve them, through various forms of encouragement. Have you found that to be true in your lives?
I think we have been more aware of our own blessings, that even in the midst of the darkness of the pandemic, the graces that exists in our lives shines through. “Count your blessings, count them one by one, and you will see what God has done”. How true that is. Has this situation given us greater insight?
In his homily, Dr. Jeremiah concluded with two suggestions. One was to stay calm and carry-on with our lives, being more aware of our blessings. The second suggestion was to do the next right thing. The next right thing, what is that? If we dwell on restrictions and how the pandemic has forced us out of our comfort zones, think about the right things that you’re being led to consider, and start doing them. Think service to others. And may the Presence of God instill in our hearts His guidance, His Peace. So be it.
Poetry by Billy Collins:
Endangered
It is so quiet on the shore of this motionless lake, You can hear the slow recessional of extinct animals
As they leave through a door at the back of the world, disappearing like the verbs of a dead language.
The last troop of kangaroos hopping out of the picture, the ultimate paddling of ducks and
Pitying of turtledoves and, his bell tolling in the distance, the final goat.
Correction:
I stand corrected. In yesterday’s Watchword I miss quoted Forest Gump. It should read “Stupid is as stupid does.” Thank you. That is a truth, as well.
Closing Prayer:
Father, we bring to You our concerns for what is happening in our world, in our nation, and in our community. We dare to hope that out of our struggles we witness the birth of a new community, grateful for our past strength and virtue, and healed of the present grievous wounds. Make us, at least part of the new, more eager to pursue peace, ready to embrace people unlike ourselves, united with people of every tongue and nation in the common wisdom that brotherhood creates, through Jesus Christ. Amen.
