Son/Sun

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Son/Sun

Justice   Healing Rays

Judgment   Answer   Salvation

The Day Is Coming

Prepare

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Malachi 3:19 to 20a

The day is coming!

It is blazing like an oven.

The proud and the evildoers will be reduced to stubble.

The day that is coming will set them on fire, leaving them neither root nor branch, says the Lord of hosts.

If you respect My Name, the sun of justice will come with its healing rays!

Reflection

The Son of God has come to lead us to the Light. We want to move out of darkness and ignorance. It's time now to bask in the Sun and feel the warmth.

We follow that Light when we work for justice. We know that there are people who are suffering discrimination and exploitation. We want to respect the dignity of each person and end the wars that destroy people's lives and homes.

We want to bring the healing rays of the Son to those who are suffering and overlooked. Pope Francis has used the image of the field hospital for the Church. People are wounded, and they need the bandages and medicines of our love and compassion.

When we neglect those who come to us in need, we will face the judgment of the Son. We are accountable for our actions. In our reading from Malachi, we are reminded that if we do evil and are proud, we can be reduced to stubble. 

We have seen this throughout history. Those who were once so powerful and thought that they would never be taken down have suddenly been brought low. We remember the Hitlers who tried to conquer the world and wind up taking their own lives in an underground bunker.

The answer that the Son gives us is to follow the Light. Jesus has come to share the gift of salvation with us. He wants only good for us and asks us to share the Gospel with each person we encounter.

The prophet Malachi tells us that the day is coming. It is the day of ending and new beginning. Our old way of selfishness and neglect for those in need has to end if we wish to begin a new life in the Light.

We prepare for that day each and every time we work for justice. We want each person in our family, our community, our nation, and our world to experience the healing power of salvation.

The Son of God is calling us to walk in His Light and to leave the darkness of selfishness and arrogance.

Enjoy your walk with the Light!

1. How can you walk in the Light?

2. What are the main areas of injustice that you see?

3. Do you see the Church as a field hospital?

4. When were you healed of your wounds?

5. How have you seen evildoers be punished and held accountable?

6. What do you feel as you reflect on Kathy's photo?

(Scripture adaptation, reflection, and questions by John J. McNamara)