“In the same way, when you see these things happening, know that he is near, at the gates.” – Mark 13:29

       Though it’s still wintertime as I write this, temperatures have been warming up early for spring, warm enough for ants to know that it’s time to come out of their nests to raid our bathroom and kitchen again. Very smart, these ants. They communicate with each other, build underground “cities,” and they don’t waste time gathering food in preparation for the next winter season.

       Ant behavior is tied to the weather. Like most other creatures that are of lesser intelligence, they survive by using their senses. We humans, however, are the most intelligent creatures of the Earth yet our intelligence causes us to analyze too much, thus hindering us from recognizing the signs of the times.

       In Mark chapter 13, Jesus speaks about the signs of the end that have been upon us for many years — warring nations, earthquakes, famines. How are we preparing our souls? The end of days may not happen in our lifetime, but surely our lives will come to an end.

       Like the ants, let’s use our time on Earth wisely by nurturing our souls so that when the winter of life is over, we’ll be ready to meet our Maker. Nova A. Sevilla (nova.svp@gmail.com)

Reflection: How is your spiritual life at this point in time? In what ways do you cultivate your soul?

Heavenly Father, may I make it a daily goal to beautify my soul in preparation for meeting You when my time comes.

St. Albert the Great, bishop and doctor of the Church, pray for us.

There is contention as to how to understand the apocalyptic genre as it appears in both the Old and New Testaments. This genre of writing is directed towards a persecuted community seeking to bring consolation and hope to those who are suffering. It is not meant to be predictive in the prophetic sense of the word and so we avoid reading the text in this manner. This encourages us to persevere, knowing that there will be ultimate reward for those who do so.

1 In those days, I, Daniel, heard this word of the Lord: “At that time there shall arise Michael, the great prince, guardian of your people; it shall be a time unsurpassed in distress since nations began until that time. At that time your people shall escape, everyone who is found written in the book. 2 Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake; some shall live forever, others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace. 3 But the wise shall shine brightly like the splendor of the firmament, and those who lead the many to justice shall be like the stars forever.”

Psalm 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11

R: You are my inheritance, O Lord!

5 O Lord, my allotted portion and my cup, you it is who hold fast my lot. 8 I set the Lord ever before me; with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed. (R) 9 Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices, my body, too, abides in confidence; 10because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld, nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption. (R) 11 You will show me the path to life, fullness of joys in your presence, the delights at your right hand forever. (R)

Jesus achieves with His own personal sacrifice what thousands of sacrifices in the Temple have failed to achieve — the forgiveness of sin. The Blood of Jesus speaks more eloquently than temple sacrifices according to Scriptures. The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross actually achieves what it signifies — all the others are merely signs of what occurs when Jesus dies on the cross. The sacraments of the Church celebrate this reality in a particular manner that is more than simply a sign — they are re-presentations of the sacrifice of Jesus.

11 Brothers and sisters: Every priest stands daily at his ministry, offering frequently those same sacrifices that can never take away sins. 12 But this one offered one sacrifice for sins, and took his seat forever at the right hand of God; 13 now he waits until his enemies are made his footstool. 14 For by one offering he has made perfect forever those who are being consecrated. 18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer offering for sin.

Signs are simply signs. How we are to interpret them is impossible to know. There is no secret code that will reveal the dates of future events regarding Jesus’ Second Coming. He tells us that no one knows the day or hour — only the Father does. We must dismiss any person’s claim to know such dates. They may be misled in their beliefs or lying outright to us.

Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to stand before the Son of Man.

24 Jesus said to his disciples: “In those days after that tribulation the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25 and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26 “And then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in the clouds’ with great power and glory, 27 and then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky. 28 “Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 In the same way, when you see these things happening, know that he is near, at the gates. 30 Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 32 “But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

think: Jesus tells us that no one knows the day or the hour — only the Father does.

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Jeremiah 23-26

Things to be grateful for from the past week

Things to ask God for in the coming week

Most important word God told me this week

SAVE OR DELETE?

There was a movie entitled In Time. It was about a future where time is the monetary currency used and aging stops at 25. The only way to live beyond 25 is to either earn, steal or inherit more time. A built-in “life expectancy timer” is transparent in the arms of people and they can see how much time they have left. Those who have much time left lived a life of deliberate relaxation and slow paced attitude. Those who have little time literally make every second count. I was reminded of Psalm 90:12 which says, “Teach us to number our days, O Lord, that we may gain wisdom of heart.”

       What does it mean “to number our days”? This means to track the direction our lives is treading. We Filipinos are known to ask those we bump into: “Where are you going?” or “Where have you been?” Other cultures see it as an invasion of privacy but the point of the phrase is not really to ask information. It is actually a form of a greeting and recognition. And better yet, it can be an unconscious reminder of the need to constantly remind ourselves of who we are: Saan ba tayo galing at saan ba tayo patutungo? (Where did we come from and where are we going?) Our faith teaches us that we came from God and to God we are to return. Is that your life’s spiritual trajectory right now?

       Where we came from is a given — that we cannot change. Where we are going is properly our responsibility.

       As I type this reflection, my attention was turned to the “Save” button. Everything is retained when I hit the “Save” button.  That’s a good metaphor for life for numbering our days. Every little thing we do is saved in the Divine memory (see especially Matthew 25:40,45). And what is saved in the Divine memory will determine whether we will be saved or deleted in the company of the blessed. Let that company of the blessed be our common desire and destination! Fr. Joel Jason

REFLECTION QUESTION: A Bob Dylan song goes: “He not busy being born, is busy dying.” What are you busy with?

Let the end for me not be a termination, O Lord, but a recognition. Amen.