You Are My Inheritance, O Lord

It is sometimes said that the Catholic faith is one of many paradoxes. This Sunday offers a striking example of one such fundamental paradox in our faith, which requires Christians to embrace a tension at the heart of their day to day lives of faith. What do I mean by this?

?The prophet Daniel speaks of a time “unsurpassed in distress.” The Alleluia verse warns us to be vigilant at all times, so that we might have the strength to stand before the Son of Man. Jesus, in our Gospel, tells of a great tribulation when the sun will be darkened, the moon will not shine, the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. In this context, He will come again in power on the clouds, sending His angels to gather those He has chosen.

?These are frightening, intimidating passages: each of our lives will end, even this world will end, and God’s people will have to suffer a frightful time of great distress, and yet have the great and uncertain task of remaining faithful despite suffering and tribulation.

?Yet, contrast this with our Psalm and second reading. The letter to the Hebrews tells us that the one, perfect offering of Jesus the High priest has taken away sins and has made perfect forever those who are being consecrated. And the Psalm tells us, “You are my inheritance, O Lord! Therefore, my heart is glad and my soul rejoices, my body too, abides in confidence, because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld, nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.”

?So which one is it? Is the world passing away in frightful distress, threatening to tear us from Jesus Our Lord? Or do our hearts rejoice in God’s redemption and salvation, in an inheritance we’ve already received?

?The answer, of course, is both. As these readings highlight, we Christians live in a paradoxical, in between time. We have been saved. We have been redeemed by baptism. We have received God’s very life in the Sacraments. And we rejoice!

Yet, we carry this treasure in the fragile, earthen vessels of our own brokenness, suffering constant trials from the world, the devil, and even our own flesh. The light we carry within us is in constant danger of being suppressed, or even extinguished, by our own sins.

?Thus, this Sunday is the perfect time to renew our hope in Jesus and His promises. We can rejoice in the great gifts He has already given us, yet also beg His help and strength in the trials that we know we still must face. As we approach Jesus in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, then, let us renew our joy and hope, especially in Jesus’s Body and Blood gives us true life.

Image: Last Judgement by Michelangelo