Fr. Gerard Kelly
I have recently been involved with a
group of people who have become uncertain about their future at work. They have heard news that they might be
forced to re-locate and work closely with another group. However, no decision has been made, so they
are not sure what might happen. This
type of situation creates a lot of anxiety for the people involved. I notice that something that intensifies
their anxiety is the rumours and opinions that are spread by other people claiming
to know what will happen. This sort of
situation of an uncertain future is not all that uncommon. We need only think of the many workplaces
where change is happening and workers are unsure of their future. The word “restructure” has become a word to
instil fear in most people today.
Most commentators tell us that change can
be very unsettling. Change can happen in
many varied ways throughout our life. In
its most basic form we change all the time as we age. Generally people cope with this quite well,
but sometimes there are moments when we realise it is happening and begin to
get unsettled. I have often met people
who take fright when they are about to celebrate a birthday that puts them into
a new decade – perhaps turning fifty, or sixty, or seventy. Earlier in life, of course, the first day at
school for a child can be quite terrifying.
Sometimes when the circumstances around us change we feel that we are no
longer in control and we get anxious about it all. Control seems to be the big factor. When we can control change and don’t feel
that it is controlling us, then we tend to manage it reasonably well.
The question of change and the future
is behind the scene in today’s gospel as Jesus walks in the Temple and is
questioned by some of the people there.
It almost seems as though Jesus wants to unsettle them. But in the end, he tries to settle them
down. I think he is preparing them for
the changes that they will have to face.
He doesn’t want them to become too fixed in their ways so that they will
be unable to deal with what must inevitably happen.
It is very common for people to take
this passage and Jesus’ sayings and start to read into our own times
apocalyptic visions of the end of the world.
People have probably been doing this since the time when Jesus first
spoke these words. But I think we need
to note carefully what in fact Jesus did say.
He seems to make two points. The
first is that it is important to read the signs around us. These can give us some clue to what is
happening and likely to happen and how to prepare for it. We do this quite often is some areas of our
life. If we see dark clouds when we look
out the window we are likely to take an umbrella with us just in case it
rains. Or to take a different type of
example, children often have a sense of when it is a good time to speak with
their parents about something. The
instinctively know when their parents are in a good or a bad mood, as they
would describe it. They have read the
signs. If we are able to read the signs
well, then we can be better prepared for what is likely to happen.
The second thing that Jesus says is
that we have to be careful that we don’t misread the signs around us. Those who misread the signs show bad
judgement. Sometimes people misread them
because they want to make a situation out to be worse than it is. They are natural pessimists and may even seem
to like conspiracy theories: “they’re all out to get us!” Misreading the signs may be because we don’t
trust other people or even because we don’t trust ourselves.
So what does Jesus propose to help us
face the future? We need to note that he
doesn’t pretend that we won’t face challenges – even sorrows – throughout our
lives. Rather, he says it is important
to deal with the challenges by trusting in God.
He gives us a new slant on wanting to be in control. Don’t think too much about what you are to
say or do, he says, because I will you the eloquence and wisdom that you need. This doesn’t mean that we are simply passive
in the face of the future. We need to
consider the reasons why we can have confidence in God.
We grow in confidence by looking to the
past and remembering what has happened.
We can remember our own capacity to deal with new situations as they
arose previously. We can remember the
support we have received from our various communities. And we can remember God’s own goodness. This memory is the source of our confidence
as we face the future.
We also grow in confidence by
developing a vision for the future that is based on hope. Our hope is not the same as thinking that everything
is fine and there will be no challenges in the future. Rather, hope is based on God’s promise that
in the end all will be good; that our lives will be blessed. We can’t control the future, but we can face
it with confidence in God. In this way
we live in the present, ready to face whatever situations confront us.
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