He Seeks Us Out in Love

11-14-2021Gospel Meditation© LPi

“And then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in the clouds’ with great power and glory.” Take a moment to ponder these words from today’s Gospel. How does this image make you feel? For people to truly understand the significance of this message, something profound has to happen within. If we find ourselves reacting with a sense of dread or fear, we have to step back and ask why.

Our answer will reveal a great deal about our relationship with God. It’s hard to fall in love with a God of whom we are afraid. God does not want us to be afraid. Nor does He want us to align our wills to His in order to avoid some kind of horrendous eternal consequence. That sounds like too much of a superficial power play on the part of God who continues to seek out His children in love.

In order for these words to carry any type of significant meaning for us, they have to resonate with and touch us on a deeper level. They have to be able to connect some dots and have meaning for us in order for this promise to change our lives. Sometimes we get preoccupied with the uncertainty of our deaths. Not knowing when or how we will eventually die can be unsettling. But, more so than needing an answer to the “when” of death, the “what” of death answer we provide has more significance. What hap-pens to us when we die? Whether we die during the natural course of our lives or when Christ comes again, the experience is the same. If we believe that we are meant to live in union with God eternally and that death completes and does not diminish us, then it is worth our time and effort to wait in vigilant hope of the Lord’s coming in glory. Our journey back to God is something beautiful to be desired, not dreaded or feared.

Sadly, many folks believe that life is no more than a random occurrence without any purposeful direction or meaning. Death is simply death and nothing more. For them, the Second Coming of Christ and God’s eternal promise have no meaning. When we understand the truth about who we are, it changes things up. We then can see ourselves as works in progress who have the choice to either resist the inspirations of the Divine Artist or give into the wonderful creativity of His will. Life awaiting the fullness of Christ to come becomes an unfolding of Divine surprises and abundant joy. God is eternally merciful, forgiving, and welcoming. It is only when we directly reject this gift and turn our backs on Love itself that we have anything to fear

“El cielo y la tierra pasarán, pero mis palabras no pasarán” (Marcos 13:31). ¿Cuándo será el fin de los tiempos? No lo sabemos. El mismo Jesús lo afirma con las siguientes palabras en el Evangelio: “Por lo que se refiere a ese Día y cuando vendrá, no lo sabe nadie, ni los ángeles en el Cielo, ni el Hijo, sino solamente el Padre” (Marcos 13:32). Por aquello del miedo que muchas personas tienen hacia el fin del mundo, hasta consultan brujos y adivinos para saberlo. El día de hoy, la Palabra de Dios nos da la respuesta a estos interrogantes. Que nadie los engañe, solo Dios lo sabe y a nadie se lo ha dicho o revelado.

Por otro lado, estamos por concluir el Año Litúrgico y recorrimos el camino de Marcos en este ciclo B. El próximo domingo será el último y lo cerraremos con la Solemnidad de Cristo Rey. En quince días iniciaremos el Adviento con San Lucas en el ciclo C. Entonces, estemos listos, busquemos gente que nos guie y no sigamos a cualquiera. La recomendación de Jesús, es siempre la misma: vigílense, estén atentos, oren y no se duerman, estén alertas como en el vigía en medio de la noche. Cada desastre en el mundo, como esta pandemia que ha dejado destrucción y muerte en muchas familias, nos pone en alerta en la vida y nos hace buscar al que es el Señor de la vida. El papa Francisco recomienda reflexionar en lo siguiente: “Será más que nunca el momento en el que nos abandonemos definitivamente al amor del Padre y nos confiemos a su misericordia (11-21-2018).