Reading and meditation on the Word of God, Friday of the 34th week of ordinary time, November 29, 2019. Daniel 7, 2-14; Luke 21, 29-33. Voice: father Peter sdb (reading) and sister Maria Fe Silva fma (meditation)
Our meditation on today has the theme: Experiencing the Coming of the Kingdom of God. Throughout the year we meet the change of natural seasons: hot to cold and cold to hot. Liturgically, in two days time we will begin a new liturgical year. The immediate effect of picking this up is an act of adaptation because we need to go along with the new season. In doing so we revew our lives.
The Lord Jesus speaks of the coming of the kingdom of God, and He encourages us to take notice of its signs, then willing to welcome it and finally renew ourselves. Even though if the signs revealed to us are of things afterlife, we inevitably have to welcome them up because it is the Lord Himself who is present in those signs. We need to be ready to accept Him, and our readiness means that we start renewing and then live in a new form people.
At various stages of life, the mentality of making plans for any activity is a very concrete need. From simple activities such as a dinner invitation at a friend’s house to a multinational company plan for lauching its new project or a diocesan pastoral care set up for the whole year plan. Our lives and activities become smooth and enjoyable when they are planned. If there is no plan, any activity will be in chaos. Because of unplanned life, we are not sure of what will be done and there is no definite direction to be followed.
If there is no plan, we don’t know what or who we are going to welcome. We also cannot adapt as a way of renewal of self that we need to do. Only those who have plan can experience the beauty of welcoming God and have the joy of being renewed. If God comes to meet us in the celebration of the eucharist, for example, our plan to welcome Him should be made hours before the actual celebration. Therefore the meeting itself in the celebration of Eucharist will become a special and meaningful experience. Definitely the Eucharist becomes a light for ourselves that are already renewed.
On the contrary, if there is no preparation nor plan from our part, the meeting in the eucharist will become a complicated chaos that can endanger our spiritual lives: whether God is felt silent or He is so far away, whether we are besieged by laziness and easily get sleep, whether we are simply forced to attend the eucharist because of pressure from others, either we just pass the time of one day off from works and other undertakings.
God who comes in Eucharistic celebrations is also the One who comes in other occasions in this life. And the universal law for every believer is that we need to welcome Him because He brings precious gifts to us.
Let’s pray. In the name of the Father … O Father, the almighty one, may our desire to meet You becomes our daily need, and not simply a need when we have hard times in life. Hail Mary full of grace … In the name of the Father …