Fr. Matt’s Corner: . . Lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven. . . .
Greetings to you, my dear friends in Christ. I know what you’re thinking – that the day has almost come: when blazing orange fills the forest and the fields and even the … um … local establishments. Yet, I don’t think
that Opening Weekend is the day of which God spoke through Malachi, nor the days in which (Jesus said) there will not be left one stone upon another. The day and the days that are coming refer to that Second Coming of Jesus at the end of time – the end of the world. The most popular rock song in my college days was by the band R.E.M. and repeated the refrain, “It’s the end of the world as we know it; It’s the end of the world as we know it; it’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine.”
The end of the world, the first Christians knew, has come – that’s what Jesus brought: an end to the world of self-serving, egoism, violence, begrudging, isolationism, or (as the R.E.M. song says) “Save yourself, serve yourself. World serves its own needs…” That world ended with Jesus’ death and resurrection. That world taunted Jesus as He hung on the cross: “Save yourself. Serve yourself. He saved others, let Him save Himself if He is the Messiah.”
Jesus, though, came not to save Himself. He was already God – He didn’t need saving – we’re the ones who needed (and still need) saving! He came not to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. Yet, the old world of sin still clings to us and beckons to us: “Psst, hey, don’t forget about me! You’ve got to look after #1 first. Save yourself. Serve yourself.” And so there is division and confusion and frustration, and we just can’t get n-o-o sa-tis-fac-tion (oops, that’s another song by another artist). We live in this in-between period (the middle Ages) of tension between the end of the old world and the coming of the new.
Jesus spoke great words of hope when He said, All that you see here– the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down. Perhaps we might find true peace (and even some measure of satisfaction) in drawing closer to that New World that Jesus is (even now) ushering in. So, where can we find this New World? That New World, the Kingdom of God is found in Jesus Himself. I think R.E.M. got it almost right in the end when they sang, “It’s time I had some time alone” – with HIM!
Peace, thanksgiving, and courage to all of you, my friends, this Holy Day, and to all who love the Lord in simplicity of heart,
Fr. Matt