The Divine Thief

This morning Jesus just about promises us that he will show up when we least expect, at the most unexpected times, maybe even when we’re asleep. And even somewhat outrageously he admits that he is a real sneak, a thief. “Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” Jesus wants to break in. And that being said, he seems to imply that, almost playfully, he wants to be caught in the act.

We have come here to wait for him, wait on him, to welcome the mystery of God incessantly in the midst of ordinariness. The poor are always waiting. Our waiting is about powerlessness, littleness, for in Jesus the mystery of God is constantly revealed even as it is hidden. If indeed we seek intimacy with this Mystery, vigilance will always be essential because of the divine reversal that always obtains. God is always reversing things, turning things upside-down, doing it his way, sneaking in through the side door, quietly even on tiptoe. 

Photographs by Brother Brian.