Fr Robert Hendrickson

Dear Friends in Christ,

Sometimes, it’s still possible to be surprised by hope even amidst the churn and noise of the world.

In the Gospel today Jesus talks of the destruction of the temple. He says there will be wars and rumors of wars. He tells us that nation will rise against nation. He warns of earthquake and famine. 

So where is the hope in that? It comes in the final line of the Gospel for today. Jesus says “This is but the beginnings of the birth pangs.”

Jesus is not describing some far off moment. He is describing the here and now reality of all of human history. And more than that, he’s promising that this is the beginning of some new thing being born. He tells us to watch for what we know too well because it all points toward a new reality coming. 

He points to himself. He is the new temple. He is the new place where heaven and earth meet. He is the one where we may put our hope no matter the day’s challenges. All of our struggles are part of the birth pangs of becoming who we will be. Just as his wounds were part of the Resurrection body so, too, are ours part of the wholeness of the Body of Christ that we are together.

The signs are indeed all around us. But so is the hope too. Christ is assuring us that this is not all that is—something new is coming into being. Its birth may be a painful process but all new life is born of a struggle. We are in the midst of many struggles and more. Thanks be to God that though we struggle we do so full of faith in the promise of Christ that the Spirit is on the move and we may yet still see what seems so far off. 

Yours in Christ,

—Fr Robert