Imagine standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona and taking in the grandeur, magnificence, and the natural beauty of this marvel of God’s creation. We stand this day at a spiritual rim allowing us to glimpse the drama of good and evil battling each other in our own day.
Triumph Over Evil Forces
In the first reading, the prophet Daniel displays for us four monstrous forces that seem to be in control and defeating all that is good in the world. These forces in our day are:
- War
- Violence
- Poverty
- Culture of Death assaulting the dignity of human life in the womb and at life’s end
But, amid destruction and chaos, Daniel goes on to describe the serene heavenly court being convened. A son of man appears who is given authority over all creation. With hindsight, we can see that Jesus fulfills this vision. Whatever troubles and chaos arise in our world, all dominion is given to Jesus and He will triumph and reign forever.
This Relationship Becomes Our Identity
Jesus, in the Gospel, speaks of knowing that the Kingdom of God is near. Friends, on a personal and communal level, He wants to draw each of us into a deeper relationship with Him, that began at our Baptism into Christ, and is deepened through this Eucharist, through his grace touching us each moment of the day. This relationship with Jesus, the Son of Man, more than anything else, gives us our identity; we are friends of the Lord, disciples of Jesus. We are called to this relationship of intimate love with Him that becomes our deepest identity.
Sent Forth on Mission
What do we do with this friendship and this identity? It’s simple; accept His mission to be Good News for our world, to announce to all Jesus’s words that “heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”
If you want an easy way to remember this message, remember these three letters, R.I.M.
- Relationship with Jesus
- Identity with Jesus
- Mission with Jesus
- To view the Rosary prayer and Mass streaming live, please visit our Facebook page at 11:30 a.m. Eastern, Monday – Friday. Please invite your loved ones to join us too! (If you are not a member of Facebook and a signup window appears, simply select the X at the top of the pop-up message and continue to the livestream.)
