Today’s readings gave me pause as I reviewed them and thought about how things are in the world these days. The ideas of a thief in the night and sudden disaster upon them do not seem at all far-fetched. At times, I find myself feeling that we are in the darkness and I fear that we are experiencing the “beginning of the end.”  I realize that God’s time is not our time and we have no way to know when that end may be whether it be our personal “end” or a more inclusive end.  I love that the first reading reminds us that you are children of the light and children of the day. We recently sang the song, City of God at mass – I took comfort in the words that convey a similar thought as proclaiming we are sons of the morning; we are children of day. These are the words I need to cling to so that I do not dwell on the negative happenings in the world.  In a span of less than two weeks, my husband and I found ourselves attending four wake services.  It, indeed, was sobering with the deceased spanning years from just 49 to late 70s.  It is somewhat like holding a mirror to my life and asking those questions that have such vague answers. 

The responsorial psalm continues the theme of bringing hope as we asserted each time that I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living. I know that I see good things every day but sometimes these are overshadowed by actions and happenings that can seem to be the work of demons.  The blessing of the responsorial psalm is that we do, indeed, repeat that response many times and that facilitates the sense of hope and goodness. My favorite line in all the readings today is in this psalm:

One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.

I believe it is part of our normal aging process to reflect more and more on these aspects.  An accepted developmental task of aging is identified as Integrity vs Despair. It is the idea of looking back at life and feeling integrity for a life well-lived or feeling despair focusing on lost opportunities and regrets.  Certainly, many people will be able to identify the things that they wish had been different but can one overall reach satisfaction with how one’s life was lived.  So, as we move forward in life regardless of age, can we identify those positive aspects and take pride (not in a boastful way) in those actions.  I think of the main character (George Bailey) in the classic movie, It’s a Wonderful Life, and how discouraged he was, yet he had had such a positive impact on so many lives.  I think many of us feel like George sometimes and need some assistance in recognizing the good.  Even just writing about it makes me realize the many positive aspects and put the negative into perspective. 

As I was pondering the readings and what to share for the reflection, I was fortunate to spent a couple of hours with my great-grandson.  Seeing those chubby little thighs and feet and being able to kiss those oh so soft fat cheeks put everything into a more positive light – like rainbows after a storm.  God IS good! God is there!  I am blessed . . .

So many songs seemed appropriate for today’s reading but an old favorite St. Louis Jesuit tune seemed best:
This Alone