Word for Word
by Msgr. Ed Lechtenberg
Please meditate on Mal. 3, 2 Thes., Lk. 21. We are quickly coming to the end of the liturgical year.
Coming, as we are, to the end of things our thoughts might turn to the end of our lives on Earth and even to the end of all life on Earth.
The scriptures reverberate with the notion of apocalypse. Apocalypse does not mean horrible things like the collision of planets, comets, moons and stars. This is the Hollywood version. This is the stuff of fear mongers who plan to make mega-bucks out of manipulating our worst fears, panic and terror.
It is exactly of such as these that Jesus warns us. “Take care not to be misled. Many will come saying, ‘I am the one’ and ‘The time is at hand.’ Do not follow them. Neither must you be disturbed when you hear of wars and insurrections.”
Hear it again. Jesus said, “Take care not to be misled.” Live each day in unity with Christ and in this relationship we will be ready to greet him with joy and happiness whenever he comes. I remember one time quoting Jesus to a gentleman: “No one knows the day nor the hour.” He responded by telling me he knew what Jesus said, but also said, “I know the year and the month,” October 10, 1967. He never spoke to me again.
A peculiar thing is going on behind the scenes in Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians. The people of Thessalonia were among the first, outside of Judaism, to hear about Jesus Christ. They responded well, at first, and were converted.
But then something went awry. In the excitement, the naivety and immaturity of accepting this new revelation, they jumped the gun, they went overboard. They thought that the second coming of Christ was just around the corner, that it will happen next week, or next month, surely within the next year.
It is completely obvious that Paul did not teach them this. They just jumped to this crazy notion all on their own.
Paul is telling them to settle down and forget about such silly ideas. The reading ends with this sobering admonition, “We hear that some of you are unruly, not keeping busy but acting like busybodies. We enjoin all such to earn the food they eat by working quietly.”
Apparently some people had decided that if the end of the world is just around the corner, we don’t need to do any work. We can just sit on our behinds and wait for it to happen. Isn’t that crazy? Some 2016 years of history has certainly proved that it was patently crazy.
What are we to do? How should we respond? Our Scriptures give us several answers.
The Prophet Malachi says, “For you who hold God in awe and wonder, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays.” In other words, if we stay close to God and revere him with all our hearts and minds, we have nothing to fear and we have eternal life to gain.
Paul is more direct. Nothing subtle here. “If you don’t work, you shouldn’t eat.”
Jesus is calmer, more assuring when he concludes his apocalyptic message. Oh, by the way, apocalyptic does not mean something fearful. On the contrary, it means revelation, a revelation from God.
Anyway, Jesus says, “Even if everyone hates you because of me, don’t be afraid. Not a hair on your head will be harmed. By patient endurance, you will save your lives.”
I like that. I don’t want one of the hairs on my head to harmed because I noticed that there are fewer of them.
Pray for our country.
