Our faith is not an insurance policy that guarantees our life will be free of trouble; rather our faith in God is the only thing that will get us through the troubles that come in every life.

Autumn now seems to be giving a hint of the winter to come. Many leaves have fallen and others are continuing to fall.  There seems to be more cold and darkness as the days grow shorter.  Snow is on the ground.  Additionally, the liturgy calls us to consider the end times as we approach the end of the liturgical year.  All things come to an end.

The first reading from Daniel and the Gospel from Mark uses very apocalyptic language designed to be sensational.  “The sun will be darkened.  The stars will be falling from heaven and the power in the heavens will be shaken.”

They speak of the breakdown of the stable parts of our surroundings.  Yet, apocalyptic language is a message of hope.  Why?  Because Jesus has triumphed over sin and evil.  The ultimate victory belongs to Jesus.  Even though it seems like our world is falling apart, for those who trust in Jesus, the message is always one of hopefulness.

The primary reason for apocalyptic literature, such as this reading from Mark, is to offer hope to those who feel there is no hope in sight.  This literature arises from a community that is facing deadly force and serious threats.  Yet even if the situation seems impossible, God will prevail.

Today Pope Francis has declared November 18^th to be the World Day for the Poor.  We are to share what we have to provide for the needs of others.  For the poor, the rejected and the marginalized, their poverty can make it seem that their world is falling apart.  The apocalyptic message of hope for all people is that no one is excluded from the Father’s love.  The hope Jesus offers is the hope he lived.  Jesus transformed the poverty of people’s lives into occasions of grace and healing.

Even before the ultimate end times, all of us at one time or another experience our life being shattered;    

            --we lost our job;

--our spouse proved unfaithful;

            --we fell into serious sin.

            --we learned we were seriously ill;

            --we lost someone dear to us;

--the clergy sexual abuse scandal has rocked our trust in the Church’s leadership;

--the dividedness of our political leaders leaves us wondering whether genuine dialogue is possible in the halls of Congress.

Our world fell apart—the sun was darkened; the moon lost its brightness.

But you did not abandon us, Lord God.   In the midst of turmoil, we receive a great grace.  We understand for the first time the meaning of our faith.  Faith in Jesus is the certainty that God can transform any situation into an occasion of grace.

Lord, prayer is trusting totally in your love, knowing with unshakeable confidence that heaven and earth will certainly pass away, but your love for us will not pass away.

Today’s readings are apocalyptic.  Apocalypse is promise.  The apocalyptic mindset proclaims that the worst of times will give birth to the best of times.

The Gospel calls us to learn a lesson from the fig tree.  Even in the midst of the deep winter of our lives, the twigs on the fig tree have become supple indicating that summer is near.  In the big picture, before this generation has passed away, new and wonderful things will have taken place.

Our prayerful Gospel question is where do you see the tender branches and sprouting leaves that reveal Christ’s presence?  Yes, there is darkness in our world.  But God’s promise is the worst of times will give birth to the best of times.  The cross leads to the resurrection.  It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

As you prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving with your family this week, may you experience God’s presence in the love and joy and gratitude that characterizes your family life.  For you, they are the tender branches on the fig tree revealing God’s promise to us that his love for us is unending.

As we gather now to celebrate the Eucharist and to be fed and nourished at the Table of the Lord, may we know that Jesus is the North Star of our lives and no matter happens, the love of Jesus for us is unending.

As we approach the end of the liturgical year, the readings call our attention to the last things – the end of the world and the end of our own lives.  How do we approach and prepare for our going home to the Lord? 

I guess there are many ways for us to prepare for our ultimate encounter with the Lord.  The Gospel message is that God’s promise of faithfulness is firm.  We read in our newspapers daily about places that seem devoid of hope.  We see faces of bewildered children caught in circumstances over which they have no control.  We all know that every death on any side of the conflict of war brings loss to someone’s family, someone’s parent, or someone’s child. 

Our message of hope is found in today’s psalm response:  “You will show me the path of life, you, my hope and my shelter.”  This reminds us that we can be certain that God is found in darkness.  God is near, walking beside us, calling us to live lives of justice and peace so that the Gospel may be carried to all the places where we go.  The Gospel invites us to do the right thing no matter what. 

The Gospel gives the motivation to trust in Jesus.  Faith alone gives us the perspective to see that our current troubles are not “the end of the world.”  By trusting in God, we can successfully navigate the troubled waters of any earthly storm.  The faith perspective we seek is not that having faith in God is an insurance policy that guarantees that our lives will be devoid of troubles, but that having faith in God is the only thing that will get you through the troubles that come in every life.

Have a Blessed day.