Thirty Third Sunday of Ordinary Time
November 19, 2006


Are you the kind of person who likes to take a peek at the last chapter of a book about halfway through the read?

If you are fan of pop culture, you might be familiar with the Duo called the Indigo Girls. They are the female version in the 90’s to what Simon and Garfunkel were in the 70’s. One of their songs is called the Wood Song. The third verse has always haunted me. It goes like this:
Sometimes I ask to sneak a closer look
Skip to the final chapter of the book
And then maybe steer us clear from some of the pain it took
To get us where we are this far, this far…

It is always tempting, isn’t, to know how it turns out in the end? To have some security and trust in the knowing that you made the right choices and the good decisions along the way? There is a part of me that wants to know how it all turns out without having to go through the pain and difficulty of the steps in between.

It seems that the writers of the scriptures are not immune to that thought process either. It is called apocalyptic writing, and today’s gospel and first reading are a part of that style. In short, what apocalyptic literature does is “skip to the final chapter of the book.” It depicts the end of the world in cosmic images of a battle between good and evil, and lets the reader know that in the end, good does indeed triumph. For all those who take up the battle of good against evil, the final chapter has been written and good will prevail and we will join in the triumph of God’s forces. Mark tells us: “Then you will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with great power and glory.” That’s the Good New, the Gospel. We will see triumph of goodness and be present as the Lord gathers his own to himself.

As to when this might happen, Andrew Greeley has some wisdom for us. He says “The Lord is present anywhere people treat each other with gentleness, generosity, and thoughtfulness.” Each time we allow the now of the kingdom, the love of others, the building up of the neighbor, the caring for the homebound, the befriending the lonely, homesick student – each time we let God’s love act in us and through us, the second coming is already at hand.

Take a lesson from the fig tree – from nature – every time there is growth in the fruits – and for us, that means growth in our ability to live the virtues of faith, hope and love, then the kingdom is among us. And all it takes to skip to the final chapter of our books – is to love each day and each moment as if it were our first, last and only moment to give away the love that is in our hearts.

This week – I invite you to ‘skip to the final chapter of the book” – live in confident hope that the end of the story has been written, and we have won. This week, live as if the kingdom is already at hand – in the way you love the poor and the way you reach out to those who are in greatest need. And if you do, then guess what – the kingdom is at hand
for you
and in you
and through you.