Readings:
1 Thessalonians 3:7-13
Matthew 24:42-51
Reflection
Jesus is a storyteller, a maker of metaphors and parables. He responds to so much of the world. The presence of Christ in the natural Universe speaks to him.
In today’s parable, God the Creator is the rich man, leaving the universe in our human hands to love and cherish, respect and care for, increase and multiply.
How have we been doing? What—and whom—have we allowed to be destroyed for profit and convenience? Have we been able to hear “the cry of the earth,” as Pope Francis described? Will that cry help us stop the destruction?
The incarnate Jesus appears as a person of great love and respect for all life. Sacred images of God’s Kingdom are all around Him in the seed, the plant, the shrub, the tree, the ground, the air, the water, the clouds and the sun. All speak to Him of God’s presence.
Jesus sought out the rejected, fed the hungry body and soul, and stormed against those who turned his sacred temple into a den of thieves, greedy for money and power.
Can we mourn Earth’s losses? Can we at least try to stop the plunder? Can we still see our world as sacred—the visible, audible, tangible presence of Christ in our midst? Can we feel the sheer wonder of this gift and fall in love and cherish it again?
Is it too late to become God’s trusted servants, stewards of this wondrous universe?
How do we—each of us—love this world so much that we can one day hope to hear, “Good and trusted Servant! Welcome to the home that was prepared for you!”
David Peter Folkes is a former Passionist Priest who resigned and married with 2 children and 2 grandchildren living in Chicago. He is mostly involved with refugee resettlement and racial equity issues.