Besides this
obligation to responsible stewardship, the other characteristic that defines a
good servant is the ability to wait with
heightened vigilance for the Master’s return. Love knows how to wait because, when the
object of his love appears to be absent, the true lover will refuse to put
another in its place. The apparent
absence of God, or if you wish God’s
invisibility, challenges our love and fidelity to live continually by
faith. As we heard, “faith is the
realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen”. Our whole Christian existence should be
shaped by absolute trust in Jesus’ promise to return to us as King of Glory. Our expectancy of Jesus, no matter how
protracted, is not a mere upward gazing at an empty sky with open mouth. No:
Awaiting Jesus to show himself ought to motivate us to the most concrete
attitudes and actions that will show that we, the little flock, the sons and
daughters, the servants, are here and now
the Body of Jesus filling the world with his presence and goodness. Jesus lives right now in the world and
within history through us! We are the presence of Jesus. Do we really believe this, enough to act on
it, enough to allow our hearts to be radically changed so as to become more
fitting vessels for the life of God to inhabit this world?
Photograph by Brother Jonah. Reflection by Father Simeon.