Now is the time to let God's word bud in your heart and into action
by Sister Laura Zelten
As we approach the end of the liturgical year the readings for this Sunday remind us of the need to be awake and ready. Only God knows the time of the final coming. The call to watchfulness is an invitation to be prepared. Just as someone leaves home and places a watchman on guard so, too, are we to be awake and ready for the master’s return.
In the Gospel, when asked about the signs of things to come, Jesus uses an image familiar to the disciples and us. He tells the parable of the fig tree, whose buds and leaves are signs of summer coming.
As believers we proclaim Jesus is present in our daily lives – through Eucharist, Scripture, and the kind words and loving actions of others. We can find God’s presence in the kindness and thoughtfulness of others or, like the disciples looking at a fig tree, in the beauty of the turning seasons.
This may not help us to know about the end of time or the questions people had then or now but it can help us to become aware of how God is present in our lives. We are to watch and respond with faith and hope. We can find comfort in the words that heaven and earth may pass away but God’s truth, love and justice will live forever.
Very true.