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Right On Time
Have you ever prayed for something so fervently that you became a bit impatient? Perhaps sometimes we feel as if God did not hear our prayers or that maybe He came through a bit too late. Or maybe even finding ourselves questioning the goodness of God or His presence. But we know that God is all good and that He hears all our prayers, so it can’t be the case that He doesn’t hear us or chooses to ignore us. Rather, God is waiting to answer our prayers at the exact time we need them. God is always right on time.
“Do not ignore this one fact, beloved,
that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years
and a thousand years like one day.”2 Peter 3:8
Have you ever prayed for something so fervently that you became a bit impatient? Perhaps sometimes we feel as if God did not hear our prayers or that maybe He came through a bit too late. Or maybe even finding ourselves questioning the goodness of God or His presence. But we know that God is all good and that He hears all our prayers, so it can’t be the case that He doesn’t hear us or chooses to ignore us. Rather, God is waiting to answer our prayers at the exact time we need them. God is always right on time.
We hear the Prophet Isaiah saying to the Israelites, who were at this time in captivity, “Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God.” To the Israelites, these words may have seemed silly as how can they experience any comfort when they have been aliens in a foreign land. But the Prophet encourages them and reminds them of the faithfulness of God in the past, and just as He was faithful in the past, He is faithful now, and will be faithful in the future. Isaiah tells the people that God will shepherd them and bring them back to Himself once again. Some chose to believe and remained steadfast in their faith while others doubted and gave up their relationship with God. To those who gave up on God, He was too late for they needed relief then and quickly.
In his second letter, St. Peter reminds that God transcends time and does not operate on our schedule. God does not always answer our prayers the instant we cry out to Him. God is not a genie to whom we turn for wishes. God is a Father who knows the needs of His children and will grant unto them all that they need when they need it. God is always right on time, never too early and never too late.
Sometimes we do not get what we want because it may do us more harm than we could have perceived. Sometimes we do not get what we seemingly need because deep down we were not truly ready to receive it. You see, God knows our hearts, and even if He wishes to give us something, if our hearts are not yet ready to accept or receive it, it may be more of an obstacle or a burden to us if God were to grant it. So, it is never the case that God withholds His love or care that He seemingly ignores our prayers, but because God loves us and cares for us, He withholds from us the things we think we need but that will really bring us harm.
The Israelites prayed for freedom, and God granted it to them in time — not once, but many times — and those whose heart was ready, received it. Freedom from slavery in Egypt, from being captured by foreigners, and from their own sins. In the fullness of time, God granted unto mankind the most powerful remedy for sin, the One who would set us free from our slavery to sin, His Son, Jesus Christ Our Lord. Jesus came for all, but only those whose hearts choose to receive Him will receive the gift of His salvation.
Brothers and sisters, do not give up on prayer, even when it seems as if God is not listening. He always listens and He knows what we really need. Pray for the faith and perseverance to know and believe that God will grant unto us all that we need at the exact moment that we need them because God is always right on time.
Faithfully Watching
Blessed Advent to you! Happy New Year! Advent marks the beginning of a new liturgical year, and the Church reminds us of Jesus’s command to “watch.” For what is it that we are supposed to watch?
“God is faithful,
and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord.”1 Cor 1:9
Blessed Advent to you! Happy New Year! Advent marks the beginning of a new liturgical year, and the Church reminds us of Jesus’s command to “watch.” For what is it that we are supposed to watch?
In the Gospel for the First Sunday of Advent Jesus told His disciples “Be watchful! Be alert!” In Mark’s Gospel this comes right after Jesus tells His disciples about the persecutions and tribulations that are to come and right before His betrayal. Of the several theories of the dating of Mark, some suggest that Mark’s Gospel was written in the 60’s/70’s AD about 30 years after Jesus’s Ascension and right at the time when the Temple was destroyed and when the Christians were being targeted. So, we can see that Mark is trying to remind the Christians to persevere and to keep watching and keep being faithful even when all seems hopeless and when their fight seems to be a losing battle. So, for the early Christians they were faithfully watching for the Coming of the Lord for some thought that His return was imminent. But what are we, who live nearly 2000 years later after this time, watching for? Are we still watching?
In one sense we are still watching just as the early Christians were — we are watching for the Coming of the Lord for we know neither the day nor the hour, so we must always be ready. But, we are also watching for the Lord in a different way — are we aware of the different ways and the the different people through whom the Lord speaks to us? Do we see Him in the poor? Do we see Him in the needy? Do we see Him in the those whom we do not like? Do we see Him in those who have hurt us? Do we see Him in ourselves?
Many people today question the presence of God. Some as why can’t God show Himself as He did in the past. One reason is that God has already fully revealed Himself in His Son. Jesus Christ is the fullness of revelation. It is not that God does not show Himself, He has already radically drawn close to us by taking on our flesh and remains with us today in a most tangible and substantial way — in the Church, in the sacraments, and most especially in the Eucharist. Jesus is fully present — body, blood, soul, and divinity — in the Most Holy Eucharist, but do we see Him? Do we choose to seek Him out? Do we spend time with Him? St. Paul reminds us that “God is faithful.” God is always faithful to us and His love and mercy never ceases. God is faithful to His promises, and He promises to remain with us. The question is not whether God remains with us, but rather will we choose to remain with Him. God is always waiting for us — in the Eucharist, in the sacraments, in our brothers and sisters. Have we been watching for Him?
Brothers and sisters, this Advent we must make time to watch and wait with our Lord. Yes, we wait faithfully for the Second Coming of Our Lord, but we must never forget that we too are waiting and watching for the coming of Our Lord at this very moment, in the here and now, in the Eucharist, in the Sacraments, and in each one of our brothers and sisters for we bear the image and likeness of God. May the Lord come to find us patiently and faithfully watching, not in idleness but rather in loving service that is rooted in relationship with Him.
Who is Your King?
Today the Church celebrates the last Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe or “Christ the King.” This means that one week from today, a new liturgical year begins with the season of Advent. As is the custom with the end of every year, we are invited to reflect on this past year, not necessarily on how well we’ve achieved our weight loss goals or how well we curbed a bad habit or fostered a new one, but how we well we have lived out our call as Christians, as people who claim to follow Christ, whom we celebrate today as King of the Universe.
“Amen, I say to you, whatever you did
for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.”
Matthew 25:40b
Today the Church celebrates the last Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe or “Christ the King.” This means that one week from today, a new liturgical year begins with the season of Advent. As is the custom with the end of every year, we are invited to reflect on this past year, not necessarily on how well we’ve achieved our weight loss goals or how well we curbed a bad habit or fostered a new one, but how we well we have lived out our call as Christians, as people who claim to follow Christ, whom we celebrate today as King of the Universe.
The kind of king that Jesus is stands in stark contrast to the kings we read of in history, even the first king of Israel. Jesus is not a king who sits on his throne and wields power from his scepter or that passes edicts and gives commands while staying in the palace. Jesus is a king who is a servant, a servant who talks to sinners and associates with the outcast, a servant who is despised by His own people and who ultimately dies the death of a criminal. This is the King of Christians. Do you still wish to follow this king?
In the readings given to us today, we are reminded that the Lord is our Good Shepherd who leads His sheep to green pastures and restful waters. Jesus tells of the judgment on the nations with the imagery of the goats and sheep, where those who feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, visit the sick and imprisoned, and welcome the stranger will “inherit the Kingdom” that has been prepared for them, while those who do not will spend eternity with the devil and his angels. At first this may sound like people have been predestined to go to either heaven or hell but that is not the case. God wants all of His children to go to heaven, but sadly not everyone wants to or at least chooses to lead lives that lead them there. God does not send anyone to hell; in fact we send ourselves to hell. How? Hell is the absence of God, and so if we choose to not believe or choose to live lives that are not in imitation of our King and Lord we are saying we do not want God, we do not want heaven, and so the only other option is “not God,” which is hell. Do you choose heaven or hell?
The ways the righteous ministered to the Lord that Jesus mentions in the Gospel are what we call today the Corporal Works of Mercy. Jesus reminds His disciples that to really serve Him, we must serve the least ones — the poor, the rejected, the outcast, and the vulnerable. To serve Christ we must serve one another. Do we do that? I don’t mean if we wait on one another, but rather do we truly care about the eternal fate of our brothers and sisters? Do we pray for them? Do we share with them how God has worked in our lives? Do we invite them into a relationship with God? Do we talk to those who are lonely or accompany those who feel alone in this life? Do we help the poor or do we walk by and drive by without even acknowledging them? Do we help the immigrant or do we judge them quietly and laugh at their struggles? Do we visit and help the elderly and shut-ins or do we let them live out their final days in isolation and seclusion? Do we help the dying to die with dignity or do we see them only as a body occupying a bed that is needed? Do we love the unborn and fight for their lives? If we choose to neglect anyone, we neglect Christ. If we choose to reject anyone, we reject Christ.
Brothers and sisters, I must admit, it is not easy to live as a Christian today, but God doesn’t ask for us to be perfect. We ought to strive for perfection, and when we fall short we must turn to Our Lord for strength to do better. Jesus did not say only those who have loved perfectly and served perfectly or those who ten times out of ten fed the hungry and welcomed the stranger will inherit the Kingdom. He only asks that we try and do our best. So brothers and sisters, as we come to the end of our liturgical year, how well have you followed the Universal King, Our Lord Jesus Christ? Have we chosen to follow a different king? I recently saw on a few cars a sticker that read “Do you follow Jesus this closely?” It’s funny but it’s also a great question to ask ourselves. Now I’m not saying you should tailgate other cars, but I am saying we should tailgate Our Lord and His Cross. Keep your eye on the prize and the Lord will lead you to His Father. Let us reflect with the Lord today and ask Him for the grace to love more deeply and to serve more willingly.