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Jesus
said, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun
will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars
will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be
shaken. And the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and
all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of
Man coming upon the clouds of heaven with power and great
glory. And he will send out his angels with a trumpet blast, and
they will
gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to
the other.”
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“I
just can’t look; it’s killing me and taking
control. Jealousy, turning saints into the sea, swimming through
sick lullabies,
choking on your alibis. But it’s just the price I
pay. Destiny is calling me, open up my eager eyes, cause
I’m Mr. Brightside.”
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The
group Killers’ song “Mr. Brightside” is interesting
to study because it seems to say that the person in the song is going
to weather the storm of watching his girlfriend turn to another love,
and even though there is jealousy, he is going to open up his eager
eyes and go on with life, as difficult as it may be. It is not an
easy moment in his life, but it is an opportunity, an opening to a
positive future.
The ultimate negative experience that the Christian Scriptures describe is the end of the world. It will be a frightening experience, with the sun darkened and the stars falling and the very powers of the heavens shaken. But it will end up very positive, with the angels of God gathering the elect from the four winds, and giving them the eternal life of happiness. The message of Christianity is always a hopeful message. Even though there are negatives, sometimes immense negatives in life, they will never destroy the positives. Ultimately, the Christian will win: they become “the elect.” We can always be people dedicated to the bright side because things will work out. As St. Thomas More once said to his daughter: “Nothing can come but what God wills. And I am sure that whatever that be, however bad it may seem, it shall indeed be the best.” Ultimately we can have eternal life if we want it and choose it. Even while we are here on earth, we can take the negative happenings, accept them, and turn them into learning experiences, giving us “eager eyes” for the future. |
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THOUGHT
What are the most difficult moments in
life, and how can they be turned into a positive experience?
PRAYER Good
and gracious God, the end of the world can be looked at as a
frightening experience, but for the elect, for those who have tried to
lead good lives, it is a positive one. Help us learn that lesson
even as we live now, and give us the grace to accept every opportunity
as something good. Be with us, we pray.
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©2007
Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America |
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