33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gospel – Luke 21:5-19

Signs of the Times

Buckets of Hope

Ever notice how many songs there are about the end of the world?  Skeeter Davis, REM, Phil Collins and Genesis!  Sad songs about the end of a relationship, someone hitting that nuclear red button, or the feeling of just giving up.  Moments in time when we were convinced that the end was near.  And we have certainly had our moments as well – terrifying storms that shook the house and made us run for the basement.  Or maybe it was that moment of family tragedy or personal crisis, that moment that we thought we would never survive.  Add to that what we are experiencing today: anxiety over wars and violence at home and abroad, uncertainty over the future, a steady stream of hurricanes and devastating forest fires out west.  Moments of horror and pain that we tend to see as a sign of the end of the world.

Jesus speaks to us today about signs, signs of the sun going out, of the stars falling from the sky and times when the heavens will be shaken. Earthquakes, famines, and plagues!  False prophets will appear and try to dissuade you from the faith.  And He warns His disciples not to misinterpret those signs and especially not to be afraid!  Trust!

We see those signs all around us and it can lead us all down a dark road of despair and fear.  It can lead us to lose faith!  It is easy for us to fall into the trap of giving up.  And yet consider this, consider all the times in the past when we thought we were lost, when we thought our life was over, that there was no way out and no way forward.  And yet, here you are, still standing, still a child of God!  He got you through those dark times, those times you thought were the end! 

Today’s Alleluia verse makes it clear -Stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand. So maybe today, instead of focusing on signs of the end, focus on signs of hope!  They really are all around us, if we only take the time to notice.  That food cart vendor who got sick and the local community banded together to pay his medical bills. That anonymous bystander who pulled that driver out of a burning car.  That little girl who made it her mission to bake cookies and deliver them to the local fire stations.  The Buckets of Hope project in the Archdiocese of Chicago that organizes buckets of cleaning supplies to send out to communities experiencing natural disasters. 

How about today you fill in the blank____________________________

How about you find a way to be a sign of hope in a world of chaos and fear!

Trust in the Lord, I will praise Him still, my Savior and My God!

 

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