1st Advent
Luke 21:25-36
And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars; and upon the earth, the nations will be constricted with anxiety and doubt with the advent of these spiritual revelations, as before a roaring sea and waves. And people will lose their inner strength of soul out of fear and foreboding of what is coming over the living earth: for the dynamic powers of heaven will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud, in the sphere of life, with dynamic power and great radiant glory.
And when these things begin to happen, stand upright and lift up [or, raise] your soul to the spirit, for your deliverance draws near.
"Amen, the truth I say to you: this present age of being human shall not pass away until all has happened.
"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
"Guard yourselves lest
the perceptive power of your hearts be smothered by an excess of food and drink
and by over-concern with the cares and worries of life, and the light of these
spirit events break upon you suddenly like a snare; for it will come upon all
who dwell upon the face of the whole earth. So be awake in the spirit at all
times, praying, so that you may have the strength to live through all these
things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."
Nov 28, 2021
Luke 21:25-36
Cordoba Fresco
A woman about to
give birth is seized by fearsome convulsions; she feels dragged along by the
overwhelming forces of birth. Yet knowing of the imminent arrival of the child can
give her the strength to endure the intensity of the transition.
Humankind is now being seized by mighty convulsions of change. The dynamic powers of heaven are being shaken, for we are all in the midst of a new birth. The kingdom of the heavens, the realm of divine love, that wants to be born in human hearts, is approaching.
We are feeling the convulsions most especially in the economic sphere because it is the sphere of brotherhood. Worldwide we hear the cries for human dignity, for equitable standards of living, and care for all. What humanity is laboring to bring to birth is the compassionate Son of Man within our hearts, the One who comes willing to sacrifice His entire life and being for others. For the present, it is our task to remain upright in the midst of the cataclysms. We are beginning the labor of bringing Him to birth. We must endure. For as Vaclav Havel says:
It
is I who must begin.
Once
I begin, once I try --
here
and now,
right
where I am,
…I
suddenly discover,
to
my surprise, that
I
am neither the only one,
nor
the first,
nor
the most important one
to
have set out
upon
that road.
Whether
all is really lost
or
not depends entirely on
whether
or not I am lost.*
*Vaclav Havel, “It Is I
Who Must Begin”, in Teaching With Fire, ed. by S.M. Intrator and M.
Scribner
