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Posted by on Nov 16, 2024

Missed the Rapture Again?

Missed the Rapture Again?

We have a joke in the family that gets repeated once in a while. Living in a tourist destination community, we are used to seeing busy highways and local roads at certain times on weekends and during holidays. But every so often, when we would usually expect the highways to be full, they aren’t. On those days, returning home, one or another of us will note, “Well, we missed the Rapture again!”

Our liturgical year is drawing to a close. We have celebrated Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and all the days in-between. We have heard God’s word proclaimed in Scripture, through worship, and in our daily lives for another year. We hope that we have grown a bit in wisdom and grace as we have in age.

Now, here we are again, at the last two weeks of the year. The readings speak of final days and describe cosmic disasters that bring an end to all and usher in the final coming of the Son of Man.

If we look at these readings literally, and look at the state of the world today, it can be terribly distressing. Is the world really coming to an end? Are we among those left behind to suffer for our evil behavior? Is there any hope? Did we miss the Rapture?

Objectively speaking, things are something of a mess out there in the world. For that matter, sometimes at home they’re a mess too. We’ve come through a world-wide pandemic, with economic and social upheavals as a result of it. We see wars raging in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. War has been threatened in Asia as well. One long one in Afghanistan ended, but there are other areas of conflict that have not risen beyond the level of “trade wars” yet. Families are under stress. Inflation has been high, because of many pandemic and trade war-related issues. Unemployment has come down dramatically, but it was high for a while when businesses had to close or cut back due to the pandemic and associated supply-chain problems. Food costs have risen. Housing is in short supply. And so on and on.

On the physical front, we are having to deal with droughts, wildfires, floods, earthquakes, and all the natural “disasters” that occur when humans and the forces of nature meet in dramatic ways. How many hurricanes or cyclones or typhoons should any area have to endure? Why so many tornados? Will the rains come so the fires stop? Why so much rain at a time? Can’t we have just a bit and when we need it rather than all at once?

People are divided over how best to deal with the economy, with the wars that are raging, changes in what we expect of our environment, emerging understandings of gender, the role of women and others who have traditionally been kept at lower status than the leadership of our communities and of industry, to mention just a few issues. Elections around the world are reflecting the divisions among us over how to move forward. Lots of fear and angst are expressed in these votes.

When the victors emerge, again, there is dismay among one group and rejoicing by others. Yet we are all still in this together. None of us got out in a Rapture of any sort. None were swept up to Heaven for protection while God deals with the messiness of the lives of the rest of us. We all missed the Rapture!

The readings from Daniel speak of the distress that can arise in life. The book of Daniel was written during a period of conquest and persecution under King Antiochus IV, a Selucid King ruling from 167-164 BCE. They offer hope that an end will come to the trials of the age and that peace will come. There is a mention of the dead rising again to life and of others remaining dead. (These conversations continued into the time of Jesus and his followers. We even hear them today!)

Nevertheless, the reading ends on a note of promise. “The wise shall shine brightly like the splendor of the firmament, and those who lead the many to justice shall be like the stars forever.” (Dn 12:1-3)

Things can get very bad, very frightening, very distressing, but hope is not lost. Wisdom will continue to shine forth and people will emerge who will continue to work for justice and peace.

So, who is this Son of Man person? “Son of Man” as used in the readings today is the title given to an apocalyptic figure who comes to the rescue. The individual is human, but gifted with special powers to accomplish God’s work and then be raised to Heaven. Daniel speaks of the Son of Man as the one who will come to make all right again. In the midst of great turmoil and destruction, the Son of Man will come with power and glory. Those found worthy and faithful will be rescued before all ends.

Jesus tells his followers that no one knows when the end of the world will come, when the present age will end, but a time will come when all is concluded. Worlds end. Do they always end physically? No. But we are to be alert to see the signs of change, of transition, in our day. (Mk 13:24-32)

Where do we see these signs? That is the big question. Where do we see the love of God shining into our lives and our world. When God comes, it will not be as a punishing, vindictive bully who is out to get revenge on all who have done him wrong! God is Love. Love doesn’t behave that way.

So where do we see the signs of the coming of the Son of Man? Where do we see the Lord in our lives?

We see the Lord in those who reach out to others, including those with whom they disagree. We see the Lord in those who work to protect others who are being persecuted because of who they are and how God made them. We see the Lord in those who seek to assure that children and their families can get enough to eat and still have a place to live. We see the Lord in those who care for the sick. We see the Lord in those who work to protect prisoners from abuse. We see the Lord in those who step up to serve in leadership roles that allow them to enact laws protecting rather than exploiting the weak and powerless.

We see the Lord in the work of those who are willing to give of their time, talent, treasure, and lives to serve others and make a better world for all. Jesus gave us a set of guidelines in the Beatitudes. He told us where to find him in the story of the Last Judgement. He willingly faced torture and death, put his very life on the line, in the process of reconciling humanity with our Father, the creator of all.

We missed the Rapture, all of us. Now it’s time to learn from the fig tree, to see the signs around us, and to roll up our sleeves and get to work. It’s time to continue to work and build a world of love and support for our sisters and brothers, wherever they are from, and whoever they are. We’re in this together. The Kingdom is coming to birth among us. Let’s get going!

Readings for the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle B

 

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Posted by on Aug 6, 2023

One Like a Son of Man

One Like a Son of Man

“One like a Son of Man” is a phrase we hear from time to time in the Bible. It’s not a common term used for the men of those ancient times, though all are children of men (and women). Son of Man has a very particular meaning in Scripture. The reading from the Book of Daniel on the feast of the Transfiguration introduces this character.

Daniel described visions he had which made clear that the God of Israel was and is greater than any others who might claim that position. In this reading, Daniel speaks of the Ancient One whose clothing was bright as snow and hair white as wool. He sat on a great throne and wondrous power flowed out from him. As is the case in most royal courts, large numbers of people were present to meet his every need and carry out his orders. This Ancient One is meant to be understood as greater than the rulers of all the countries that had conquered Israel in its history. The most powerful God and ruler of all.

Then there is a bit of a shift. Another individual comes onto the scene, one who looks like a human man. Yet this man doesn’t come walking, or riding a horse, or in other ordinary means of travel. This one comes “on the clouds of heaven” and is presented before the Ancient One. And what does the Ancient One do? He gives this Son of Man “dominion, glory, and kingship” over all the world. This dominion is not going to end, nor will it be destroyed. It is to be everlasting.

The language of the Book of Daniel sounds very similar to that of the Book of Revelation. They are the same type of literature, apocalyptic. Both works speak of the end times and of the coming trials and hardships that will mark the end of the world. So why do we hear this one on the Feast of the Transfiguration?

When Jesus took Peter, James, and John up onto the mountain top to pray, they certainly did not expect what was going to happen there. Mountain tops are places traditionally known for meetings with God. But it doesn’t happen all that often! At least not obviously and dramatically. But this time was not to be the quiet, predictable, boring trip up the mountain of ordinary life.

On the mountain, they saw the appearance of their friend and teacher, Jesus, become totally different from a normal human being. “His face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.” Remember the description of the Ancient One and the brightness of the light shining out from his clothing? This is a different reality than the everyday Jesus they knew and loved. Peter recognized immediately the meaning of the brightness of light and the presence of Moses and Elijah with Jesus. He offered to set up three tents, not unlike the tent in which the Ark of the Covenant rested until the Temple was constructed in Jerusalem. Tents for representatives of the Lord God, the Ancient One.

A bright cloud appeared over them all and a voice spoke from the cloud. “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased, listen to him.”

The apostles did the most reasonable thing possible at that point in time. They immediately bowed down prostrate on the ground, fearing for their lives. Who could see God and live? They didn’t know if they would ever return to the bottom of the mountain and ordinary life. It might very well all end there.

But the next thing they knew, Jesus touched them and he looked completely normal again. Everybody else was gone. He told them to get up. As they went back down the mountain, he cautioned them not to share the vision they had seen with anyone else “until the Son of Man has been raised form the dead.”

I suspect we can all understand why they might have been just as happy not to need to tell anybody what they had seen. It would have sounded absolutely preposterous and pretentious. Such things don’t happen to ordinary people. Who are you to claim to have seen Moses and Elijah and heard the voice of God? Crazy men, that’s all…. And rising from the dead? Really? Totally crazy.

And yet… Jesus did die and he did rise from the dead. The Son of Man, the one to whom the Ancient One had given dominion, glory, and kingship, was their teacher, the very same person whom the voice from the cloud had described as his beloved Son.

The disciples shared the story of what they had seen. It became part of the teachings of the early community. The author of the second letter of St. Peter speaks of this event, as an eyewitness. This is not something made up to try to fool the superstitious or poorly educated common folk of the time. This had truly happened. So pay attention. It’s like a lamp in the darkness or the dawn breaking through the darkness of night. The Lord, the beloved Son, has been honored and praised by God the Father.

We don’t hear these readings often at Sunday liturgies, especially not in August. The Gospel readings describing the Transfiguration are more typically part of the Lenten Sunday cycles. However, when August 6 falls on a Sunday, it takes precedence over the regular celebrations of Ordinary (counted) Time. We take a day to ponder the great love of the Father who sent the Son, becoming a Son of Man, a person like each human being. He lived a normal human life and gave us a glimpse of the wonder of the sharing in God’s life that we too receive.

Let’s take a moment today to relax in the beauty of creation and the presence of the Son of Man. Crazy things can happen on mountain tops. Sometimes, we should just take a moment to savor the memory.

For a fun activity to celebrate this feast, check out this puzzle in our OFS – Other Fun Stuff section of Theologika.net.

Readings for the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord – Cycle A

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Posted by on Nov 21, 2021

King of the Universe!

King of the Universe!

Sometimes when children are playing, one or another will exclaim, “I’m King of Everything!” Today we celebrate the final Sunday of our liturgical year, The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. In this case, it’s not a question of the exuberant, excited cry of a child in a game. The Christian community, through the centuries, has proclaimed this truth, both in direct statements and in apocalyptic images.

Predictions of the coming of a savior often appear in the Hebrew Scriptures during times of exile and persecution. This savior comes and acts as the agent of God in opening the final age of salvation history, the time in which God will become the ruler over all things. The human (Son of Man) who is the instrument of God in all this upheaval and transition is to be raised to a heavenly level, implying a divine status of some sort.

Our reading from the Book of Daniel (7:13-14) describes a vision received in the night. Someone like a Son of man is coming, but not with a human army or traveling in a normal human way. This individual is coming on the clouds of heaven. The destination of this Son of man (human) is not a standard one either. The Son of man comes to the Ancient One. Who is the Ancient One? This is a title for God. This human, who has served as agent to open the new age, comes before God. God gives him dominion (authority as a ruler), glory (renown, magnificence, splendor), and kingship over all times and peoples. This new status and role will continue for all eternity.

In Psalm 93, the term Lord is used. In this context Lord is the word used to speak of God. Jews do not use God’s actual name, because if a person knows the name of another, there is some power over the other individual. Call that individual’s name and the individual will respond. God made clear from the beginning that no one else will be in charge. This is the reason for the prohibition on using God’s actual name and substituting the word Lord.

The Lord is king, dressed in strength, making the world firm and ruling from everlasting to everlasting. The decrees/statements/commands of the Lord are worthy of trust. This is a hymn of great trust and joy.

The early Christians had to figure out where their friend and teacher, Jesus of Nazareth, fit into the whole picture. The book of Revelation was probably written sometime in the years 81-96 CE, during the persecution of Christians under the reign of the emperor Domitian. The identity of the author is unknown, though the name John is assigned to this person.

Today’s reading is from the very beginning of the book (Rev 1:5-8). John sends greetings to the seven major Christian communities (the churches) of Asia. The greeting is also extended in the name of Jesus, faithful witness and firstborn of the dead. Jesus is identified as ruler of the kings of the earth. It is through the death of Jesus that the new kingdom has been brought into existence. Jesus is coming and all will see him. His sisters and brothers will be raised through him, conquering sin and death, triumphing over persecution and unbelief. The Lord is the beginning and the end, just as the Greek letters Alpha and Omega represent the beginning and end of the alphabet. (The Christian scriptures were written in Greek, making this a relevant note.) God’s life-giving power now operates in the world through Jesus, the Christ.

On this feast of Christ the King, we leave the Gospel of Matthew and instead hear from the Gospel of John (Jn 18:33b-37). Jesus stands as a prisoner in front of the Roman governor of Palestine, a man named Pilate. Pilate was responsible for keeping the territory free of revolutionaries and imposing Roman law. He asked the leaders of the Jewish court why they had brought Jesus to him for judgement. They responded that they could not legally condemn him to death.

Pilate is not interested in religious arguments between Jesus and the Jewish authorities. Their reason for the death penalty was blasphemy – the claim to be God. However, the most important issue for Pilate is whether this man standing before him has committed treason by claiming to be a king. Only Caesar in Rome gets that title. Anyone else will be executed. So Pilate asks Jesus directly, “Are you the King of the Jews?” He is expecting a simple Yes or No, but Jesus instead asks Pilate a question, essentially, why are you asking me this? If Pilate is interested in Jesus’ teaching, the conversation has potential. If not, then other issues arise. Pilate makes clear that he is not asking because he has heard of Jesus and his teaching and wants to know more. What he wants to know is: “What have you done” that the authorities of your country have turned you over to their enemies for execution?

Jesus does not answer the way Pilate expects. He explains, “My kingdom does not belong to this world.” He points out that if he were a king in the worldly sense, he would not be standing there alone. Others would be fighting for him. But his kingdom is elsewhere. Pilate takes this answer as a statement that Jesus is claiming to be a king and asks for confirmation of that interpretation. Legally it matters. “Then you are a king?” But Jesus still refuses to claim an earthly kingdom. “You say I am a king.” He doesn’t deny being a king, but he is king in a very different way. He explains that his mission is to present the truth of God’s love for humans. Any who accept that truth will be members of his kingdom. God’s gift to humanity, the self-giving love leading to God’s becoming one of us, is the source and power of this kingdom. Those who belong to the truth, listen to Jesus.

Here’s a person who really is King of Everything! Do I listen to his voice? Do I hear the truth of God’s love and the Kingdom of Love? When he comes, will I be ready?

Today let’s not get bogged down in worries about how we are doing in following our Lord. Let’s take some time and simply celebrate the wonder of this gift from our Father. He loves us so totally that he became one of us. Jesus brings this love to each one of us each day of our lives and with every breath of our bodies. Long live Christ, the King of the Universe!

Readings for the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe – Cycle B – Christ the King

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