St Mark begins his Gospel, most likely the first gospel to ever be written, thus: "The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ the Son of God." Elsewhere in the Bible we have the start of the Book of Genesis: "In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen 1: 1) and the Gospel of John: "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was God." (Jn 1: 1) There is no clear conclusion to the original ending for the gospel of Mark: "So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone for they were afraid." (Mk 16: 8) The onus is left on the reader. In Advent we still await the conclusion of the Gospel. We are parties to the working out of God's plan and we are not meant to run away in terror and amazement. There is still work to be done. St Paul tells us that: "Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after he has destroyed every ruler and every authority and power." (1 Cor 15: 24) In a world afflicted by pain and conflict we can be tempted to lose hope as we wait for God to bring the world to its fitting and decisive fulfilment. This was also the case for the first generation of Christians. St Peter advises them: "Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish, and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation." (2 Pt 3: 14-15)
No comments:
Post a Comment