A SCRIPTURAL COCKTAIL

... should I call it a mix up, sun and rain at the same time, a bitter-sweet drink? Call it what you will. But when reading next Sunday’s Liturgy Text, we have to think and read with an open mind, and most important, please DO NOTE Christ’s words and promises.

We start reading, or listening to the reading by the Prophet Malachi, and it’s ‘hell, fire and brimstone’ as the phrase goes.

But let’s not join the gang of ‘fundamentalists’ and say, ‘Here we are, it’s the end of the world.’ This is the conclusion when we see wars everywhere, hatred, wrong-doings, insensible political decisions, famine, pestilence and misery all around us. And to strenghten their argument and prove themselves right, they will substantiate their argument by quoting some verses from the Scripture.

But do stop and think. Do you know of any age, epoch, era, when these or similar disasters did not exist or happen? Look up a History book, or the Holy Scripture, and you will realise that these happenings were, or rather are, the run of the day. In fact they are happening even now, in our day and age.

Then comes the Gospel reading with apocalyptic language and images which makes you tremble all through. But have a, look at the Psalm of the day, no. 98, and you will rightly say, ‘But what on earth is happening, why should I sing and play on the harp? What is there to be happy about?’ And that is just what we should note in next Sunday’s Reading.

We cannot understand or gauge what lies ahead of us, because we cannot see with God’s eyes. Besides Christ specifically tells us: “But not a single hair of your head will be lost. By standing firm you will win true life for yourselves.”

You see, we have a veil in front of our eyes which hinders us to see correctly and clearly. And Christ is removing that veil, He is ‘revealing’ what is now hidden from our sight. That is the meaning of ‘Revelation’ or ‘Apocalypse’. But we have to trust the Lord, otherwise we shall remain blind.

We have every cause to sing and play on the lyre, because we do have a mighty, trustful captain, in Jesus Christ. The sun of justice is Jesus. The day burning like an oven is that of His Death and Resurrection. The fire that will destroy “all evil” is the Spirit that He sent us, and His Word, His Gospel that has already started to renew the face of the earth.

So keep on spreading His Word, as you are duty-bound, especially if you have received the Sacrament of Baptism.