A Reflection for Tuesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Find today’s readings here.
“See that you not be deceived,
for many will come in my name, saying,
‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’
Do not follow them!
When you hear of wars and insurrections,
do not be terrified; for such things must happen first,
but it will not immediately be the end.” (Lk 21:5-11)
I sat with this passage for a long time—not only due to the excitement of my first opportunity to write a Scripture reflection for America Media, but also because I wanted to find a simple and concise way to summarize how it made me feel. This is a tall order for someone who often finds himself flying over the word limit on writing assignments. My heart and my brain finally settled on one word: hope.
I think it is particularly pertinent to focus on hope, which can mean a lot of different things to people, at a time when so many feel anxious, upset, and discouraged.
The path of my life has brought me into community and conversation with some of the most thoughtful, kind-hearted people this world has to offer. The love I feel for my friends is unconditional, a fact for which I am immensely grateful. Three years ago, one of those friends wrote a reflection on hope.
In recounting her 17-year-old sister’s battle with cancer, she shared how her sister often scoffed at the phrase “God gives the hardest battles to the strongest soldiers.” She felt that God most definitely did not give her cancer, nor was she stronger than anyone else. My friend described her sister’s analysis as a moment that “woke her up.”
It takes an intentional effort to turn towards God, instead of away from God, in moments of grief, frustration and despair. In sharing how she found a way to establish that trust, my friend introduced me to a new phrase: “God Wink.”
God Winks are moments where God’s presence is clear. Events, originally thought to be coincidences, that feel a bit too coincidental. Faithful people choose to attribute them to a form of divine intervention. The feeling that we are looked after, and loved. God Winks can often go unnoticed for extended periods of time. My friend didn’t think much of the fact that her grandmother lived down the street from one of the orthopedic surgeons at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. Until it mattered.
It is easy to place blame on God, but if we are able to reach a place where we feel the evil in the world is not of God, then it becomes even easier to find hope. In the eyes of my dear friend, hope is to know what it feels like to put trust in God’s constant presence. And joy is to know that her sister, more awesome than ever and now in remission, is months away from graduating college.
God Winks come in many ways, shapes and forms. And they are often filled with grace. Yet they don’t make everything better all at once. There will still be the many who “will come in [God’s] name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’”
But I find so much comfort in Luke’s words today: “Do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end.”
Much of our story remains to be written. And although people may feel terrified at times, we are nowhere near the end.
Another one of my incredible friends has turned the phrase “Life is Good” into his personal mantra. Aside from enjoying the brand’s comfortable and uplifting tee shirts, the expression has become a bit of a rallying cry when situations feel uncertain.
While we still must acknowledge and address the distressing parts of life, he believes there is something inherently good about it all. There is always something worth celebrating. Humans are fundamentally resilient. And I’m inclined to agree with him.
Life isn’t easy. Life isn’t perfect. Life is still good.
To find myself working at America during this time is a God Wink. The privilege and honor that comes with the ability to quote two of my best friends in a spiritual reflection is a God Wink.
They are always out there, for those who choose to look.
