Daily Retreat 08/31/06
2006 Aug 31 Thu: Ordinary Weekday
1 Cor 1: 1-9/ Ps 144(145): 2-3. 4-5. 6-7/ Mt 24: 42-51
From today’s readings: “God is faithful, and by Him you were called to fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.... Great is the LORD and highly to be praised; His greatness is unsearchable... So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
Seeing Triple
Before His crucifixion and death, throughout the Holy Week, Jesus did His best to prepare His disciples for what was to come, giving them detailed instructions and explanations of what to expect. Yet His words, as recorded in the Gospel, are at times difficult to understand, because there are in fact three distinct but overlapping references for the end times mentioned prominently in these penultimate chapters.
First, Jesus insisted that His followers ought to keep an eye on the end of earthly life, for the moment of one’s death will also bring personal judgment by God. This is probably the primary sense to be read in today’s verses. However, the words also could be taken as an admonition to be prepared for the Second Coming of Christ, for the preceding verses (e.g. 24:29-31) address that eventuality directly. But then, the verses before those prophesy about the historical destruction of Jerusalem, which occurred in 70 AD, only one generation after the death of Jesus, and that terrible event was certainly apocalyptic for the people of that time.
Even human words are sometimes charged with several layers of meaning, so we shouldn’t be surprised that the words of the Lord likewise can be understood in a number of contexts. While that doesn’t ever legitimize twisting the meaning of Sacred Scripture for one’s own purposes, we do need to humbly and diligently consider all the implications of the Son of Man’s warning to stay awake and be prepared!
1 Cor 1: 1-9/ Ps 144(145): 2-3. 4-5. 6-7/ Mt 24: 42-51
From today’s readings: “God is faithful, and by Him you were called to fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.... Great is the LORD and highly to be praised; His greatness is unsearchable... So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
Seeing Triple
Before His crucifixion and death, throughout the Holy Week, Jesus did His best to prepare His disciples for what was to come, giving them detailed instructions and explanations of what to expect. Yet His words, as recorded in the Gospel, are at times difficult to understand, because there are in fact three distinct but overlapping references for the end times mentioned prominently in these penultimate chapters.
First, Jesus insisted that His followers ought to keep an eye on the end of earthly life, for the moment of one’s death will also bring personal judgment by God. This is probably the primary sense to be read in today’s verses. However, the words also could be taken as an admonition to be prepared for the Second Coming of Christ, for the preceding verses (e.g. 24:29-31) address that eventuality directly. But then, the verses before those prophesy about the historical destruction of Jerusalem, which occurred in 70 AD, only one generation after the death of Jesus, and that terrible event was certainly apocalyptic for the people of that time.
Even human words are sometimes charged with several layers of meaning, so we shouldn’t be surprised that the words of the Lord likewise can be understood in a number of contexts. While that doesn’t ever legitimize twisting the meaning of Sacred Scripture for one’s own purposes, we do need to humbly and diligently consider all the implications of the Son of Man’s warning to stay awake and be prepared!
posted by FrPitstick | 8/30/2006
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