In the Book of Genesis God speaks after the great flood, “I establish My covenant with you... neither shall
there again be a flood to destroy the earth...This is the
sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living
creature that is with you, for all successive generations; I set My bow in
the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the
earth.”
In today's Gospel, Jesus tells that, when we see him, the Son of Man "coming in a cloud with power and great glory," we need not be afraid. We can "stand erect" and raise our heads because our "redemption is at hand." In his homily this morning Father Aquinas wisely referred to Jesus, as the Rainbow. Since he is our Redeemer, the Messenger and Embodiment of God's eternal covenant with us, we need not be afraid.
Things may be falling apart all around us, but Jesus comes to us, calls us to himself, to a space that transcends collapse and ultimate deterioration. The Son of Man is the new place for us to stand secure, for the waters of chaos cannot overpower him. He is the redemption that is offered to us in the midst of a perishing world. We must be aware, awake and stand on higher ground, rooted, grounded and built up in Christ. As worlds fall apart around us, our task is prayer and vigilance, standing secure as companions of the Son of Man who saves us. And so, far from shrinking from the inevitability of collapse, we can lean into it, holding on to him who is our Hope.
Photograph by Brother Brian.
