Nothing like hearing Jesus predicting “the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, stars will be falling from the sky, powers in the heavens will be shaken” when we’re coming to Mass. Over the centuries, this has been used to inspire fear. It was (still is) the basis for doomsday preachers who would utilize this text with the ending of it saying that the “day or hour” all of this will finally occur “no one knows…” except God “the Father.” The point was get right with Jesus before the end times – or else.
I think that for many of us though, we treat these scriptures as something we just have to “get through.” They don’t seem to resonate. We hear these predictions which seem so distant and removed. They haven’t happened yet and in some ways they kind of pale in comparison to so much of what we see going on around us. We see wildfires raging, tempers and anxieties and tensions and atrocities too numerous to list in the news. We know of the brokenness in the world, as much as the brokenness in our own lives.
And I’m sure that all of us have our own stories of things that anger, upset, unsettle, depress, frighten or fear us. So much so that we probably couldn’t notice stars falling or whether the sun or moon were out at all. We come to Mass not to feel worse about things. Where is the Hope? Maybe the better question is what is Hope?
My mentors in life are folks in there 80’s. Why, because they have had many experiences of dark nights. One wisdom senior told me: “I’ve learned the big difference between optimism and hope. Optimism is ‘Annie’ (you know, the annoying kid from the musical with the curly red hair) belting out, ‘The sun’ll come out tomorrow! Bet yer bottom dollar there’ll be sun.’ My old mentor would say: “Good luck, kid. The forecast says snow for the rest of the week.”
He continued though – Hope’s different. Hope says, ‘Okay, so it’s gonna snow. We’ll get the job done anyway.’ Hope says, ‘It’s the last inning, and we’re down by three, but let’s go out swinging!’ Unlike optimism, hope knows that quite often nice guys do finish last, but that it’s a helluva lot better to be a nice guy than to be first.”
Jesus is our Hope. In following Him, the one who has endured loneliness, abandonment; the one who was rejected and betrayed; the one who was tortured and killed – In following the one who knows personally every physical, emotional, pain as he experienced life and death on the Cross and then conquers the grave in being risen from the dead, Jesus is our Hope.
So this Gospel story isn’t about inspiring us to obey him out of fear. Nor is it about patiently enduring suffering and pain knowing that one day things will really get bad (you think these are the end times, wait). Jesus is reminding us as we endure things that may feel like, may look like the end times – of what is most important. What is most important is our souls. That our souls are fixed on the things that are eternal. That we don’t allow the tribulations, the trials, the struggles to deflect us from those eternal things.
Jesus invites us to let go of the anger, the cynicism, the disillusionment – and when we do , we see the reality that thousands of people every day are moved to be compassionate to people they had never met. Something resonates in the hearts of strangers to be generous – to be selfless. They choose Hope.
Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who have endured dark times during these past two years. Let our hope be You alone, for You are the love that brings compassion to hurting hearts and the promise of eternal life.
