Do you live in the past, in the present, or in the future? Some of us like to remember the “good old days” but then we remember that not everything was good in the past. Some of us like to live in the future, tomorrow, tomorrow. Jesus wants us to live in the present! Jesus teaches us that it is important to remember our past and how God has been with us in the past. It is important also to live in hope of the future. Our acclamation at Mass brings together these three moments in time: “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.”
Sadly, some Christians just live in the future. They think they can read signs such as wars and earthquakes and make the bold prediction: “The End is Near!” They spend all their time studying and mapping out the book of Revelation instead of focusing on what really matters, Jesus’ words and actions in the Gospels. Anyone who is so bold as to predict when the end is coming should be silenced by Jesus’ words in this Sunday’s Gospel: “But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Mark 13:32). If Jesus tells us that he himself does not know then how can any of us be so bold as to claim that we know when the end is coming. Instead Jesus wants us to live in the presence and be the Body of Christ, the real presence of Jesus welcoming love and mercy to our suffering world.