Memorial of Saint Andrew Dũng-Lac, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs
Readings like this can be a struggle to understand. Bronze and iron, statues and dust, dreams and predictions of the future… What are the characters in today’s prophetic reading and gospel looking for?
We all worry about what happens next. For many of us, the older we get the more we worry about the future. I think this reality is funny, because as we age there is less of life to worry about, and more has safely past. Why do we worry? Why are we so afraid of the unknown? It seems like a persistent part of human nature sometimes.
For many of us, the past is a place where we suffered trials or lost someone. It’s reasonable to wonder, ‘what if that happens again?’ Even if the events of the past have gone, the memories can still hurt. The pain and disability can still persist in our bodies from old injuries. The same can be true for our hearts. Even the pain of others can seep into our consciousness, and fill us with fear. The threat of terrorism is on many people’s minds today. King Nebuchadnezzar had heard stories of lost battles and fallen empires, and he was afraid it would happen to him. He thought, ‘if I only I could know the future.’ He was looking for comfort. Would he see his empire destroyed? Will we be impacted by terrorists closer to home?
As Christians, we know our future. We were made to be with our loving God. Our life here will include the joys of the Spirit and the trials caused by sin. Christ has redeemed us and set us free from eternal death. Let us first and foremost be comforted by our life in love with Christ: its meaning is sure!
In our spiritual myopia, we are very concerned with our present, earthly experience. Jesus is patient with our state, and tells us not to listen to people with end-times stories. They’re playing off the fears that most people share: ‘what if my future is as bad, or worse, than my past?’ “Do not follow them!” Jesus says. “Do not be terrified!”
Most of us won’t be up at night wondering if the end of the world is coming. But we might be worried about our future, our security, in some other way. And if you’re like me, that worry can keep you from acting like Jesus. I can think about my future and worry, or I can think like Jesus. There are lots of reasons why you (or I) should wait to be more involved at Church, or more generous with the poor, or more kind and forgiving of others. But they stop making sense when we think like Jesus.
When our fears or concerns about our life on earth drown out the voice of the Spirit, let us remember Jesus’s words: “Do not follow them! Do not be terrified!” Amen!
-Chris Nieport