“We should have known Better.”
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Jeremiah 33:14-16 – 14 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15 In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 16 In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.” (= our Justice)
Psalm 85:7 –
7 Show us your steadfast love,[1] O Lord,
and grant us your salvation.
Psalm 25:1 – 1 To you, O Lord, I lift my soul. (↔ Music Link)
1 Thessalonians 3:12 – 12 And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you
Luke 21:25-36 – The Coming of the Son of Man
25 “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. 26 People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
The Lesson of the Fig Tree
29 Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; 30 as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. 31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away
Exhortation to Watch
34 “Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, 35 like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! Grace and Peace to each of you from God our Father and our Lord, Jesus the Christ, in the Power of the Holy Spirit. Welcome to Year C of the Liturgy of the Word! This is our “New Year’s Day” so to speak – the first Sunday of the liturgical year which is also the first Sunday of Advent. The Key Verse icons will all be in violet or, as some people call it, purple or lavender. For the time being, we will stick with looking at the Readings for each Sunday. I am still reviewing the idea of introducing Bible Characters and short biographical insights to their place in Scripture. Let me know if you’d be interested in that, or prefer the insights to the readings, or maybe go for both. Send your suggestions to the email address from which you received this message.
I added in a short passage from the Gospel Key Verses. The Lesson of The Fig Tree is not included in this Sunday’s lectionary passage. I included it because I often wonder why there is a big gap in the chosen readings. Maybe it has something to do with the 60-minute rule: “Mass better not last more than 60 minutes or I’m gonna ….” That’s not counting the folks who take off right after communion. We are asked to give at least 0.6%, yup, less than 1% of the 167 hours of Life God gives us every week. That’s nowhere near to being a traditional tithe (10% off the top!). I’ve mentioned Matthew 12:36-37 a couple of times recently. It is a Prophecy of Jesus that tells us even the small stuff will be reviewed when judgement comes for each of us. Jesus also prophesied that God will quickly grant justice to his chosen ones, then he asks, “And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (See Luke 18:1-8) If any of us are unsure about the content and context of those passages, please take a moment and look at them now. In a moment we’ll cruise over to Revelation 21:27, so take a moment to grab that one, too, please. Thanks. Now, on to the main topic.
Our Key Verses today speak to us of Love and Justice. In the passage from Jeremiah, God imparts additional information about the Just Branch, which we know the be the shoot from the root of Jesse. (See Isaiah 11:1-9) where we see –
1 A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
2 The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
the spirit wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
This is the King of kings prophesied to be of the lineage of David. The image conveys the connotation of new growth from old roots. It is a powerful image! The suffering in the Sin of the World will be transformed to Righteousness – Tsidqenu from צדק (tsadaq) – to be righteous. Righteousness in God is harmony, rectitude, entirely upright and decent, honest, loyal – in short – Loving. How do we get to that? We’ve covered that in Romans 13:8, and Galatians 5:14 – 14 For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Justice ≡ Righteousness ≡ Love. We’ve discussed that God has revealed himself as Perfect Integrity, Endless Mercy, Everlasting Love, And Eternal Salvation. Righteousness is Justice Tempered with Mercy because Mercy is Steadfast Love.
We might ask, “Why is God saving Judah and Jerusalem? That is the King’s chosen residence, and Peace will reign there through his governance, for the government shall be upon his shoulders (See Isaiah 9:6) and he will be the Prince of Peace. We must also remember that Justice stands in contrast to injustice. Injustice is failing to love God and neighbor, it is the nullification of Christ’s Law of Love. There is no Integrity, Mercy, Love, or even Salvation in that state of being, the life lived through injustices. I hope you can forgive me for hammering on this next one, but – as the expression goes – it hits the nail on the head because it demonstrates the deep reach of Justice and Righteousness. You see, Mercy tempers Justice, and for Mercy to occur, there must be Judgment. Justice served is what we deserve. Mercy is being served what we do not deserve. All of that to introduce – again – this from Matthew 12:36-37 – 36 “I tell you, on the day of judgment you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter; 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” But, prepared or not, Emmanuel will come! (↔ Music Link)
That is why this Sunday we pray with the Psalmist Show us your steadfast love, 1 O Lord, and grant us your salvation. God has created us in Love for Love by Love and through Love. The reason for that is simple: God IS Love. (See 1 John 4:7-21, especially verse 16 b) It is also why the subtitle today is “We should have known better.” Belovéd, we have the free and total use of the B.I.B.L.E., and in it is everything we need to know to find Mercy at the time of judgment. And lest we think “Oh, I’m not too worried about that, it’s not imminent.” We should know better. In CCC 1021-1022 we have the following:
1021 Death puts an end to human life as the time open to either accepting or rejecting the divine grace manifested in Christ. 592 The New Testament speaks of judgment primarily in its aspect of the final encounter with Christ in his second coming, but also repeatedly affirms that each will be rewarded immediately after death in accordance with his works and faith. The parable of the poor man Lazarus and the words of Christ on the cross to the good thief, as well as other New Testament texts speak of a final destiny of the soul–a destiny which can be different for some and for others. 593 (my emphasis added)
1022 Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ: either entrance into the blessedness of heaven-through a purification 594 or immediately, 595 — or immediate and everlasting damnation. 596
At the evening of life, we shall be judged on our love. 597
And why is that? Let’s find that verse in Revelation 21:27 – (GNT) 1 27 But nothing that is impure will enter the city, nor anyone who does shameful things or tells lies. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of the living will enter the city. The Love of God is Perfect, and we are told to be like him – perfect, wholly holy. If we want God’s Mercy so that we can live with God eternally (rather than “that other guy”), then we need to be on the page of the Book of Life that says “Clean or nearly Clean.” All our sins must be expiated, and all temporal penance for those sins must be completed before we are allowed to cross that threshold into Rejoicing with the Lord. (↔ Music Link)
That’s another reason why we might say. “We should have known better.” All those involuntary prayers that are abuses of the Name of God – “Oh, my God!” and “God *blank* it!” The “little white lies,” the “I was just joking’” insults, the easily-spoken putdowns, “What an idiot!” and the ugliness we dare to share on the forever-alive social media – ALL of those qualify as our L A C K of Love. I invite you to go back and reread 2426AFC062824 – Winning a spot in the Final Four, and look for the phrase “by the heel.” In that post you will find this warning:
“What happens if one’s lifestyle looks more like a death-style? God will always give us what we need, correct? Sometimes, though, he lets us have a taste of what we want – sours the milk so to speak – in the hope that we will repent and go back to him.”
Every single one of us – believers and nonbelievers – are instructed to “Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” Where can we gather such strength? What is a source we can use continuously to live in Love and bear in mind our particular YOLO-F? Why, we all know the answer. It’s in Psalm 121:1-2 – (GNT) [1]
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—
from where will my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
It is not in the hills or the valleys or the seas or the skies that our Help reposes. It is in God and God alone, the One, the Only, the True God who is and was and will always be Perfect Integrity, Endless Mercy, Everlasting Love, And Eternal Salvation.
Will we, can we, mustn’t we “Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth.” ʻŌmea! That day could be today! Maybe not for everyone in the whole World, but maybe for someone somewhere in their own World. If that someone is me or you or a friend or a loved one – JUDGMENT IS IMMINENT, NOT “LATER, MAYBE.” We might ask, “why would God make it thus? Here ya go. Another reason “We should have known better.”
Isaiah 45: 21-25 –
21 Declare and present your case;
let them take counsel together!
Who told this long ago?
Who declared it of old?
Was it not I, the Lord?
There is no other god besides me,
a righteous God and a Savior;
there is no one besides me.
22 Turn to me and be saved,
all the ends of the earth!
For I am God, and there is no other.
23 By myself I have sworn,
from my mouth has gone forth in righteousness
a word that shall not return:
“To me every knee shall bow,
every tongue shall swear.”
24 Only in the Lord, it shall be said of me,
are righteousness and strength;
all who were incensed against him
shall come to him and be ashamed.
25 In the Lord all the offspring of Israel
shall triumph and glory.
Belovéd, we really do know there are no acceptable excuses, and no amount of self-justification will make a difference in the outcome. It is our thoughts, words, and deeds that condemn us, and it is God’s judgment in The Law that convicts us as guilty. Only in Christ will we find the Mercy to deliver us from a downward journey at the moment of death.
Next week we will reflect on the Messenger who came to prepare the way of the Lord, and ask if we are prepared to walk in his way.
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever —
at your service, Belovéd!
Please pray with us here at Share-a-Prayer.
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
[1] Passages marked (GNT): Good News Translation (GNT) are from the Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition)© 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible. n
[1] [steadfast love = Lovingkindness, mercy, God as compassionate and faithful, loyalty, faithfulness, goodness]
