Dear Parishioners,
Doomsday prophets warn of a World War III with China in 2013. Middle East tensions are rising as more nuclear nations emerge. North Korea continues nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches. We have experienced an economic collapse that has devastated our financial security. Sometimes these things seem like signs of the final catastrophe. In the Gospel of this week we find the cosmic upheavals: "the sun will be darkened, the moon will have no light to reflect, and the stars will fall from heaven. The powers in space will be driven from their courses." This form of writing that imagines the end of time is called apocalyptic.
To give his readers hope, Mark gives them Jesus' vision of the future. After the cosmic fireworks, Jesus imagines a peace beyond suffering. This vision of peace is important for Mark's persecuted community: they need more than a fireworks' display to see them through their own historical apocalypse. We have a great hope in the promise of Jesus: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away." We too live in an age of uncertainty; the future never looks wholly secure. So the message of Jesus holds out a vision that takes us beyond our worst imaginings: "And then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in the clouds' with great power and glory." The branches of the fig tree experience 'the summer' by becoming tender and sprouting new leaves. So too, we can experience in this very life 'the power and glory' by becoming gentle with new life in Jesus.
Let me share with you one of most loved stories, written by Fr. Edward Hays. It concerns a man whose face was so disfigured that almost no one ever looked directly at him. Through the years he developed a personality that paralleled his face: paranoid, critical, sarcastic. He was much disliked.
One day a friend took him to a neighboring village where a creative person made face masks. They were so lifelike; no one realized they actually were masks. The man returned to his home with a new, handsome face. Because people began to treat him differently, his attitude toward life began to change also. His new appearance, and people's reaction to it, softened his personality. He became so likeable that one of the village girls agreed to a date with him. One date led to another. The two fell deeply in love, so much so that to the man's amazement, the young lady started talking about marriage.
He eventually figured that the only way to put a halt to her expectations was to tell her the truth. "I'm really not the person I seem," he confessed. "I'm wearing a mask. I don't look anything like this." She instantly assured him her love wasn't based just on his looks, and then asked him to peel off the mask. When he did, she looked at him and said, "I thought you said you were wearing a mask." He quickly looked in a mirror. To his amazement, over time the disfigured features of his face had molded themselves into the handsome features of the mask.
When we first try to transform ourselves into Jesus' image we feel we're putting on a mask. "Try Him; we will turn into Him!" Put on Jesus: with time, determination and the Spirit's help, our appearances will one day morph into reality. Why would we, Christians spend time worrying about future apocalyptic disasters? We know Jesus is with us in the midst of any calamity. Together with Jesus, we will all one day experience 'the glory and power' in this life.
God bless us all!
Father Lawrence
