How do we deal
with chaos?
Things may get
worse before they get better. At least
that is what the prophet Daniel seems to be suggesting to his audience when he
gives his vision of the end times: it shall be a time unsurpassed in distress,
but those who are true to their covenant with God will be vindicated: the
wise shall shine brightly like the splendor of the firmament, Daniel says. Although they may have to endure a time of
turmoil, the people of God can trust that, if they stay true, working at doing
good works, bringing God’s love to bear upon others’ lives, they shall live – like the stars – forever.
Psalm 16 likewise reassures the faithful that God will not abandon their souls
to the netherworld, so long as they remember always that God is the whole
of their identity, their allotted portion
and their cup.
In Mark’s Gospel,
Jesus similarly speaks to his disciples about a time of turmoil and tribulation, when chaos will seem to
reign once more upon the earth and the
stars will be falling from the sky.
But, so long as they remain vigilant,
so long as they continue to focus on the one who rules their heart, the one
who brings mercy and forgiveness, the one who calls them to the kingdom where
he is, they will participate in the fullness of its coming, for at that time
the Lord will gather his elect. In the meantime, as the Letter to the Hebrews
tells us, Jesus, having offered one
sacrifice for sins, has taken his
seat forever at the right hand of God, where he waits for all to come to pass as he taught them.
We experience
chaos every day – the chaos of failure and of sin, the chaos of error and lack
of human foresight – but we also experience grace, for joy is often not
possible without sadness. God’s mercy is
capable of seeing past all we do as human beings. It’s up to us to do our best to remain
faithful, true to our relationship with the Lord, bringing God’s love to bear
upon the lives of others, so that we too can endure the end times to come in
the hope that we will be made perfect
forever, perfect, that is, in our final, perfect union with the Lord.
This post is based
on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordle.net
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