The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.
Anyone
remember this poem from your high school English class?
I mention this
poem because, while we know that in fact the fog does not come on little cat
feet, we also understand the point, and the truth, of what Carl Sandburg is
communicating.
Having lived
in the San Francisco Bay area for eight years prior to coming to Austin, I know
that Sandurg is absolutely correct. The
fog does come on little cat feet.
The fog
creeps, it stalks, it comes on little cat feet.
Just as we do
not take the poem literally, but understand it to be true, so with today’s
Gospel. Do not read this Gospel passage like
a text book. Read it like you are
reading a poem. These are images and
metaphors that convey an idea, a truth, that are not literal.
Jesus said to
his disciples, that is, to you and me, “In
those days ….” In those days. What days?
Well, you can read this as a future prediction. But that is not particularly relevant. It has been nearly 2,000 years since Jesus
originally said this, and it could easily be another 2,000 years before it
happens. So, it very well may not be
particularly relevant to us. I can
barely keep up with what is going to happen this afternoon or tomorrow, much
less next year, and certainly not a couple of millenia from now.
Jesus tells us
that “the sun will be darkened, and the
moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky, and
the powers in the heaven will be shaken.” In other words, this is upset and upheaval at
the most basic and fundamental level.
If you watch the news headlines this passage can seem like a pretty
accurate description of what we are living through. Cosmic upheaval!
There is upset
like we have seldom seen in politics. It
is crazy what is going on. On the
international scene there are wars, famines in several places, strife and upset
in many different countries. In society
the whole basis of gender is in question.
People, especially young people, are becoming more isolated by
electronic gadgets. Certainly for the
people of California who are in the terrible fires it must seem like the end of
the world!
In our Church
there are continuing, ongoing, revelations about sexual abuse, about cover ups,
about scandals of various kinds, of bishops calling for Pope Francis to resign,
of commentators speculating on the threat of a schism in the Church.
It has gotten
to the point that some people are dreading Thanksgiving dinner with their
families because the conversation may veer into hot and contentious topics of
politics or religion or social developments.
Am I right?
It can seem
that everything is falling apart and going to hell in a handbasket. AMEN?
That is what Jesus is talking about.
What can we
rely on? Where is there a sure and firm
anchor for us to invest our hopes and dreams?
Who can be counted on in this terrible time
of flux, of upset, of things falling apart, of the sun
darkened, the moon no longer giving light, of the stars falling from the sky
and the powers of heaven shaken??? //
Jesus tells us
what is secure. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”
That, and only
that, is what you can ultimately rely on.
In the fog of
this time in our society, our country, our world, our church, even often in our
own families and lives, the secure base, the grounded rock on which we can
rely, is Jesus and His word. WHY?
Because Jesus has beaten the most disruptive force of all,
which is death.
Everything
dies, even the universe, but NOT the
words of Jesus. Jesus has conquered
death, and His word endures. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my
words will not pass away.”
That you can
rely on. AMEN.
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