Mtr Mary Trainor
Repent! The end is near.
Dear friend,
It’s a cliche, this saying. It conjures up a picture of some weary-eyed, scraggly fellow on a street corner, carrying his message to the world via a hand-made sign affixed to a stake.
It’s the same image that we’ve been known to use to justify our reluctance to approach another with the good news of God in Christ. None of us wants to be the weary-eyed, scraggly fellow pitching his message to an unwelcoming world.
Yet repentance is a worthy practice, and carrying the Word of Jesus to people brings tidings of God’s great comfort and joy.
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Our Gospel today from Matthew presents more of Jesus describing the end of time, and the myriad things that must occur before that. But his primary words for the disciples are to endure to the end and side-step the fakes, those who would lead us astray—away from the right path.
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Living a balanced life is like driving a car or riding a bike. We must look ahead at where we’re going, we need to be aware of what is coming up from the rear, and we absolutely must be observant of our immediate surroundings. Translate that into past, present, future. Each is a vital part of getting to our destination safely—or, as Jesus puts it, enduring to the end.
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I was speaking with a much younger person the other day who shared her angst and anger about the condition of the planet. I share her view. We’ve made a mess of it.
Her passionate outburst continued. She blames my generation (I do, too,) but then I heard the wake-up call: “Yeah, you may feel that way, but you don’t have to live with the consequences. We do!”
Repent! The end is near.
Repent is such a challenging word. Confess is an easier way. Confess. Be forgiven. Move on. Or, as a former parishioner of mine in California would say: “I come to church for the confession. My slate is wiped clean and I am good to go for another week.” What I came to know much later was that he was using confession to avoid responsibility, and that “good to go” meant he could keep on hitting his wife and children. His confession brought no remorse for harming another another whom God loves, and no change of behavior.
But, repent means that once I am aware of my failure, and once I confess it, I still have work to do. What remains is to turn from it and chart a new course.
Repent! The end is always near.
Mtr Mary