WORD 2day: 2nd December, 2017
Saturday, Last day of the Ordinary Time
Dan 7: 5-27; Lk 21: 34-36
These days, every now and then, there is a talk of the end of the world. Recently in the South Asian parts of the world, there is an increased talk of Tsunami or a natural disaster of that sort. There is the ever present fear of a nuclear threat, involving North Korea and the United States. There is crisis everywhere with thousands rendered refugees on a daily basis in more than a few zones of the world....
There is so much signalling the end...but the message of the Lord is totally something else. Look at everything that is going on and you have something to take home as your lesson - the Word says. If I do not stay awake, I will not gather the fruits of what is going by. Staying awake is crucial.
Yes, the last day is here...the last day of the Ordinary Time...it gives the feeling of an end of a journey, but ofcourse it is not just the end! It is a new beginning too, with tomorrow. The beginning came and the end has come....
What follows is again not all that flowery. It is a waiting, a waiting that is tedious, a waiting that can be trying, a waiting that is a bit painful. St Paul compared it to the pangs of child birth. Yes, only those who stay strong will endure till the end. Staying strong is crucial too.
The liturgical year ends today with an all new phase of challenge to begin: stay awake; stay strong above all that, stay calm! Mary did. She was calm as she waited and today we are called to wait like her!
Stay Awake, Stay Strong, Stay Calm. The end may be around. But the Lord is here!