THE VIRTUES OF COPING UP/STAYING PUT,
KEEPING ALERT AND PRODUCTIVELY WAITING
The readings in Isaiah 64:1-9, 1st Corinthians1:3-9 and the Gospel of Mark 13:24-37 including Psalm 80: 1-7 seem symmetrical in its substance and lessons.
They remind us of the virtues of coping/staying put, keeping alert and productively waiting while anxiously readying ourselves for God's coming for our redemption.
Firstly, the Psalmist while pleading God for favor, he advises that we should not brood for the sins we committed for it is a useless exercise. To brood means to think anxiously or gloomily about something. Meanwhile, the book of Isaiah recalls the transgressions of the people of the past with an anxious expectations of how blessings are expressed and again asked for Yahweh's forgiveness.
In several parts of the Gospel of Mark, Jesus invites us to be vigilant while waiting for His arrival. How will He come? How can He come to us if we are meant to die before His coming in glory.
It is true that we will meet the Lord when we die. Nevertheless, Jesus comes to us in several ways while we await Him doing our work and living our lives.
One aspect of our commitment to Christ is our commitment to the Christian community, to our Church. This means our participation in our common prayer in the Eucharist, in Catechism and other similar events. As we participate in our commitments, there is not only one but several "comings" of Christ. We see His coming of those of our brothers and sisters who are converted. He comes to us giving us strength and wisdom. He comes to us through prayer, giving us the inner certainty of His presence.
He also comes in our day to day living. The prophets have said time and again that the events that bring renewal and growth in values also bring the Lord. At times He comes in His resurrection in happy events that bring life and joy, and more justice and hope for the poor. At other times, He comes through His passion and death.
Precisely, because Jesus comes in our daily history, we have a commitment to Him to serve out our contemporary world.
St. Paul's advice to the Corinthians connects this commitment when he shows us how to act when reviewing the activities of our parish or of our apostolic group. He said that instead of being discouraged by the problems we face and accusing one another when something fails, the first thing to do is to remember what we already have in common. These communities, in fact like our own had to face their problems and their weakness. Each generation of Christians must learn to follow Jesus and "build Church" or better still "be Church."
In connection, the Gospel of Mark warns us to be alert for many begin with generosity but afterwards they lose sight of the goal and turn out to be mere administrators and activists (a vigorous action for political ends). They are committed to works and movement but not to the Lord Himself, that is why their life is full of contradictions. For a time they form marvels and suddenly they fail. They do useful things but are not aware of the moment. They should stop them and follow another path. They do their own work but do not let the Lord take over their mind, their heart and their whole life.
This does not happen to those who are ALERT.
