God Waits!

A Homily for the 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time

There is a wisdom that founds a vision and the vision opens out onto a mission and the mission requires we take the risk of faith. We read today in the Book of the prophet Daniel:

“But the wise shall shine brightly like the splendor of the firmament, and those who lead the many to justice shall be like the stars forever.”

This is Wisdom: I know God has never abandoned me. I live now only by God’s mercy. And God’s strength in me has always been stronger than I realize.

This then is the Vision born from that Wisdom: To see life in the midst of death; to see light in the midst of darkness; to see grace amid sin and abundance amid scarcity.

And this is the Mission that follows from that Vision: To take the risk of faith and act so as to unleash life out of death, light out of darkness, grace out of sin, and abundance out of scarcity.

Jesus, in the Gospel of Mark today, tells us: “When you see these things happening (life amid death, light amid darkness, grace amid sin, abundance amid scarcity) know that God is near, at the gates.”

But, unfortunately, death will remain just death, darkness will remain just darkness, sin will remain just sin, and scarcity will remain just scarcity… unless we are willing to take the risk of faith and act on what we see thereby unleashing the life, light, grace, and abundance inherent in everything around us.

It all depends on how we see. Jesus says: When you see “the fig tree’s branch become tender and sprout leaves, you know summer is near.” So when we see the soft glow of life glimmering amid death, a glint of light breaking the darkness, a glance of grace shimmering amid sin, and the glorious abundance generously revealed in scarcity, and we act on what we see, than we too will know, and remind others, that God is near, even at the gates. When we take the risk of faith and act on the limited then the limitless is unleashed and revealed.

As St. Paul once wrote: “If Christ is not risen from the dead then we are the most pitiable of people.” But since Christ is risen from the dead, Resurrection resides everywhere, and it takes Resurrection eyes to see it. Resurrection eyes see the leaves amid the winter trees, the flower amid the winter snow and the warmth abiding in winter’s chill.

But God waits on us! He has give us the Wisdom, the Vision, and the Mission but we must take the risk of faith and act on what we see. And when we do then God unleashes in the world the Life that doesn’t now death, the Light that the darkness cannot overcome, the Grace that abounds amid sin, the Abundance that does not know want. But it is up to us.

God waits!

“But the wise shall shine brightly like the splendor of the firmament, and those who lead the many to justice shall be like the stars forever.”