Mtr Mary Trainor

So Is this the end for us my friend?
So Is this the end for us my friend?*

Dear friend,

The end. The end of time. The end of the world. The end of my world. Of yours.

We come across Jesus speaking with disciples near the end of Matthew’s Gospel. He speaks of horrible things that must happen, results of natural phenomena and human sin—finishing with, “and then the end will come.”

But we’ve already lived through these disasters and cycles of violence. Over and over. And still no sign of Jesus’ promised return at the end of the age.

I used to worry about such scary visions when I was younger, but now such apocalyptic images  don’t scare me as they once did. When I realized they are part of the human condition--part of life on this planet--I relaxed a bit. When I realized they are part of life in every generation, I settled down. After all, it’s not like Jesus is referring to some horrible new thing happening. He simply points to the ongoing cycle of earthly messes.

he world is at war leaving all fault behind
So Is this the end for us my friend?

More relevant, I believe, is for me to pay attention to the end of my own time here. 

As so many before me, I am pretty guaranteed to die before Jesus comes back. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to see Jesus coming from the skies to claim the full world as his own. It would mean my suffering would end then, my trials over, any pain would subside. I wouldn’t have to die. I would be granted all the time in the world.

When two worlds collide
One steals the life like a thief in the night

Meanwhile, I am reminded of the life I am living, the time that I live in, the people who I love, my pets. These things will not last forever, nor will I.

So I’m not going to worry about the chaos that may usher in the end of time, but rather focus on the chaos of my “now,” fight for what I believe in and cherish those I love and those who love me. 

Either way, Jesus has my back.

So look to the sky
He hold the keys for your life and mine
So Is this the end for us my friend?

Mtr Mary

*Is this the end? Creed.