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Jesus said, “Then
they will hand you over to persecution, and they will
kill you. You will
be hated by all
nations because of my name. And
then
many will be led into sin; they will betray and hate one another. Many false prophets will
arise and deceive
many; and because of the increase of evildoing, the love of many will
grow
cold. But the one
who perseveres to the
end will be saved. And
this gospel of
the kingdom will be preached throughout the world as a witness to all
nations,
and the end will come.”
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Luke
Skywalker was not preparing for the end of the world
during this final session of “The Empire Strikes
Back,” but what he was
preparing for was close to it. He
knew
that the forces of evil, in particular, Darth Vader, had taken his
friends. He also
knew from Yoda and
Obi-Wan that he had not finished his training and that the dark side of
The
Force could be as commanding as the good side. Understanding
that he was not as prepared as he
would like to be, he
nonetheless knew that he had to go to his friends.
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As
one reads Matthew’s account of the end of the world, one is
struck by the
conflict between the good and the evil that will ensue. It will be
a frightening confrontation. “They will hand
you over to persecution and
they will kill you. You
will be hated by
all nations because of my name.” In
order to win the conflict, the good must persevere to the end because
the one
who perseveres to the end “will be saved.”
The end of the world is not one that we like to think about, nor is its treatment by the different writers of the Gospel clear. But certain elements can be identified. Evil is strong, but if they persevere, those who are good will receive their reward. If indeed the good side of The Force is God, then the dark side is the devil or more appropriately, perhaps, the presence of evil. Followers of Jesus Christ must always be aware of the strength of the evil around them. Because we want what we want, it always seems so easy to follow evil ways and so difficult to remain on the path outlined by Jesus. Too often, we follow our selfish desires for too much pleasure or we give in to laziness or seek the easiest way to make money. The dark side is not a difficult side. But, if we allow The Force to be with us, that is, to follow the lead of Jesus to God, we will persevere and receive the rewards of a good life both here and hereafter. |
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THOUGHT
In your
opinion, what does "persevere to the end" mean?
PRAYER Good
and gracious God, we know that someday the end of the world will
come, and we know from your Son that there will be elements of it that
will be
frightening. But we
also know that we
can persevere, and in the end, win any conflict by following closely
your Son’s
desires. 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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