Will He Find Faith On Earth
Will He Find Faith On Earth
Daily Gospel Reflection 11/24/2022
"There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth, nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fright
in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.” (Luke 21:25-28)
The Coming of the Son of Man:
Today's Gospel assures us of Christ's return, and during this future event, all will witness His "power and glory." As we read in Luke, the Second Coming is announced by strange cosmic events that will shake heaven and earth, and ultimately the Son of Man will return. To the early Christians, the Second Coming of Jesus, which was understood as the consummation of God's work in redeeming the human race, was hoped and longed for. They fervently prayed, "Come, Lord" (1 Cor 16:22).{1} As modern-day Christians, let's harken to the early Church and remember this is not a time of fear but a time of hope where Christ will overcome evil.
"But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" (Luke 18:8)
This is a crucial question from Jesus and something we must ask ourselves. Has our faith been dulled to the point that we cannot recognize evil on earth? Are we supporting things contrary to the faith? From the mind-boggling obsession with abortion that the left promotes as "health care" to the inability to define what a woman is should make a Catholic seriously ask how and why some in the Church remain divided. The devil's influence in our world is not a question, but for some religious men and specific religious orders in the Church, the devil is not something of concern today. The question "will Christ find faith on the earth" means that we must have the discernment to recognize evil and seek to overcome it.
Christ exhorts us to be vigilant and to be sober-minded; be watchful. "Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." (1 Pet. 5:8)
We are preparing for a special time of year this Sunday, “Advent.” The Advent season is a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to Christ's second coming at the end of time and to the anniversary of Our Lord's birth on Christmas.{2} Let this time be one of renewal and a more profound commitment to the Lord. I urge all Catholics to reconnect with the Bible and strengthen your faith in the Risen Christ.
Reference:
{1} Kenneth Baker, S.J. "The Second Coming." In Fundamentals of Catholicism Vol. 1 Chapter 26 (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1995), 80-81.
{2} https://www.usccb.org/prayer-worship/liturgical-year/advent
Great piece, Jonathon. By the way, I was thinking about this image this morning, and wondering how to find it. Thanks!
Great article!!! A sentence in one of the last paragraphs "The question , "will Christ find faith on the earth" means that we must have the discernment to recognize evil and seek to over come it" ,asks a very important question, one we must think about often. As always we need to start with our self, we can't ask of another what we don't impose on our self. However, it doesn't stop there. We are just one spoke and sometimes cog in the wheel. Paul stressed praying for all our leaders secular and religious. As our leaders, God does speak to and through them, but only when they open their hearts and listen. They are human too, and badly need our prayers. If we are only grumbling about the way some of our leaders play footsie with evil , the world and the devil, then with them we are also part of the problem! We should seek the grace to pray for them from our hearts. As Bishop Barron is fond of saying, "love is seeking the good of another". If we seek their good because they are a child of God, and He loves them, then we wiil reap good for us all!