Sunday Reflections

We wait in Hope for New Life

As we approach the end of the liturgical year, our Sunday readings point us to the end of time.  The reading from the Book of Daniel looks forward to an end for those faithful Jews who were persecuted by King Antiochus IV: “They shall live forever” and “shine brightly like the splendor of the firmament.”  Likewise, the reading from the Gospel of Mark reminds those faithful early Christians in Rome who were persecuted that they “will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory,” who will “gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the end of the sky.”  Both of these passages speak with hope and confidence about the end for those who are faithful to God and God’s ways despite persecution.  In other words, both groups of persecuted people are called to trust that no matter how dire the situation, God will never abandon them.

An important element of Resurrection spirituality is to know and to live out the paschal mystery.  This understanding of the paschal mystery comes from our Baptism when we died to our old selves and were raised to new life in Christ.  It becomes the pattern of living for all who follow Christ in many small and large ways throughout life, and ultimately at the end of life.  In each instance of living the paschal mystery, small or large, we choose to imitate Christ in service to others, experiencing a certain dying to self, trusting that God will be there for us and that this dying will lead to new life. This could come in the form of the faithful care of a child or elderly parent, constant visits to the sick or dying, bearing wrongs patiently, or forgiving seventy times seven.  But sometimes a certain type of dying, small and large, comes upon us in ways that are not of our choosing.  This can come in the form of financial hardship, sickness, an accident, or other personal or family loss.  In each instance, small or large, we trust that the suffering we endure, the dying that we participate in, will not be for naught.  We trust that the Risen Lord is present with us in our suffering and dying, leading us to new life, precisely in those moments when we most often feel his absence. 

It is precisely in these moments, when we might feel most deserted by God in our suffering that we can most clearly identify with Jesus who died on the cross.  Tortured and crucified, deserted by everyone, he cries out, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”  This desperate cry is echoed in the voices of many who suffer.  Like Jesus on the cross, they continue to cry out, to pray, to trust that God will not abandon them.  They wait in hope for God’s faithful act of bringing new life.  This was the hope of the persecuted Jews in the Book of Daniel.  This was the hope of the persecuted Christians in Rome.  This is the hope of all who follow Christ in Baptism, embracing the paschal mystery, awaiting the new life that God will bring.