Third Sunday of Advent
March 10, 2007
Peace of the Lord be with you! Twice in today’s gospel we read or hear a serious thought or admonition: "But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!" So, I believe, it behooves us to give some serious consideration to the notion of repentance. Let me begin this reflection with words from St. Augustine.
We know that the day of eternity is coming and it is good for us to know this. It is also good not to know exactly when it will come. This forces us to prepare for eternity by living a good life now. It is in our power now to decide whether our eternity will be in heaven or in hell. Right now is the time when we can determine what our eternity will be. God mercifully hides the moment when our earthly life will end but he even more mercifully delays its ending so that we can have more time now to prepare. (Cited by Donald X. Burt, OSB)
As we make our journey through life, surely control is one of those realities we wish to have with regard to our future. Yet, most of us, I am convinced, find that the journey is not always within our control. The roadway we follow brings us to forks in the road and we might follow one side of the split that leads us to experiences beyond our control.
Some struggle to stay healthy but encounter a day when an unexpected illness occurs. Some achieve what they believe is their goal only to find themselves quite unhappy. Some live their lives without God only to find themselves empty when crises arrive at their doors.
The reality of our lives is that we cannot control every event or aspect of our lives as we would like. Nonetheless, we do have one aspect of our lives that we can control. We have complete control over our eternity. The different roadways we may take may meander all over the place throughout our lives but eventually lead us to the final road stop: the doorway to eternal life.
You and I know we cannot set the date of our end life’s journey will end and the eternal life will begin. We can determine whether we will be welcomed to the kingdom of God by Jesus Christ or allow our roadway to take us into "that hellish solitariness that is an eternal life without God. (Donald X. Burt, OSB)."
What the fig tree imagery in the gospel today does teach us is simple: no one of us can put aside concern for our making sure that we are prepared to meet the Lord. It is for such reasons as this that Archbishop Wuerl in collaboration with the Pastors of the archdiocese tried to bring all of us closer to Christ and his forgiveness in mandating that a priest be in a confessional each Wednesday during the season of Lent. And, quite honestly, we live in a time and culture where many Catholics as well as Catholics have turned away from the Sacrament of Reconciliation or derided it as useless or something that is strictly between an individual and God.
We know well that none of us knows that day nor the hour when our hearts will offer us the last beat, when we will put forth the last breath. Yet, so few of us, to be quite honest, few Catholics use the Sacrament that allows us to be reconciled with God for the sinfulness in our lives. And who is the loser? We are. Whether we are in our twenties or sixties, seventies or eighties, our end is coming perhaps sooner than we expect or want. Today, when you are standing over the sink in your bathrooms and you see your face in the mirror, ask yourself in a soft voice, "Self, if God called you home today, are you going to be satisfied with the eternity you have chosen for yourself? Do I need to reconcile myself with God for any sinfulness that I have ignored, been too embarrassed to bring to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, or refuse to accept as a sin as taught to us by our Church?"
The reality is this: If you were called to meet God today, will he be ready to welcome you into his kingdom? Let me return to one part of the words of St. Augustine again: "God mercifully hides the moment when our earthly life will end but he even more mercifully delays its ending so that we can have more time now to prepare." The Light is On For You ... I encourage you to take advantage of the special graces and the calming provided by the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
March 10, 2007
Peace of the Lord be with you! Twice in today’s gospel we read or hear a serious thought or admonition: "But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!" So, I believe, it behooves us to give some serious consideration to the notion of repentance. Let me begin this reflection with words from St. Augustine.
We know that the day of eternity is coming and it is good for us to know this. It is also good not to know exactly when it will come. This forces us to prepare for eternity by living a good life now. It is in our power now to decide whether our eternity will be in heaven or in hell. Right now is the time when we can determine what our eternity will be. God mercifully hides the moment when our earthly life will end but he even more mercifully delays its ending so that we can have more time now to prepare. (Cited by Donald X. Burt, OSB)
As we make our journey through life, surely control is one of those realities we wish to have with regard to our future. Yet, most of us, I am convinced, find that the journey is not always within our control. The roadway we follow brings us to forks in the road and we might follow one side of the split that leads us to experiences beyond our control.
Some struggle to stay healthy but encounter a day when an unexpected illness occurs. Some achieve what they believe is their goal only to find themselves quite unhappy. Some live their lives without God only to find themselves empty when crises arrive at their doors.
The reality of our lives is that we cannot control every event or aspect of our lives as we would like. Nonetheless, we do have one aspect of our lives that we can control. We have complete control over our eternity. The different roadways we may take may meander all over the place throughout our lives but eventually lead us to the final road stop: the doorway to eternal life.
You and I know we cannot set the date of our end life’s journey will end and the eternal life will begin. We can determine whether we will be welcomed to the kingdom of God by Jesus Christ or allow our roadway to take us into "that hellish solitariness that is an eternal life without God. (Donald X. Burt, OSB)."
What the fig tree imagery in the gospel today does teach us is simple: no one of us can put aside concern for our making sure that we are prepared to meet the Lord. It is for such reasons as this that Archbishop Wuerl in collaboration with the Pastors of the archdiocese tried to bring all of us closer to Christ and his forgiveness in mandating that a priest be in a confessional each Wednesday during the season of Lent. And, quite honestly, we live in a time and culture where many Catholics as well as Catholics have turned away from the Sacrament of Reconciliation or derided it as useless or something that is strictly between an individual and God.
We know well that none of us knows that day nor the hour when our hearts will offer us the last beat, when we will put forth the last breath. Yet, so few of us, to be quite honest, few Catholics use the Sacrament that allows us to be reconciled with God for the sinfulness in our lives. And who is the loser? We are. Whether we are in our twenties or sixties, seventies or eighties, our end is coming perhaps sooner than we expect or want. Today, when you are standing over the sink in your bathrooms and you see your face in the mirror, ask yourself in a soft voice, "Self, if God called you home today, are you going to be satisfied with the eternity you have chosen for yourself? Do I need to reconcile myself with God for any sinfulness that I have ignored, been too embarrassed to bring to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, or refuse to accept as a sin as taught to us by our Church?"
The reality is this: If you were called to meet God today, will he be ready to welcome you into his kingdom? Let me return to one part of the words of St. Augustine again: "God mercifully hides the moment when our earthly life will end but he even more mercifully delays its ending so that we can have more time now to prepare." The Light is On For You ... I encourage you to take advantage of the special graces and the calming provided by the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
