Serve Him

September 29, 2007

Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, archangels

As the visions during the night continued, I saw One like a son of man coming, on the clouds of heaven; When he reached the Ancient One and was presented before him, He received dominion, glory, and kingship; nations and peoples of every language serve him. Daniel 7:13-14

Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree." Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; ³⁴ you are the King of Israel." John 1:48-49

Piety

Father, help us to recognize the vision of the son of man in the face of everyone we meet.

Jesus, guide us as we serve you in your fight against the evils that plague our lands and our lives.

Holy Spirit, open our eyes, our ears and our hearts to the message and mission that we must proclaim with our words and deeds. Amen.

Study

http://www.usccb.org/nab/092907.shtml

Who is Jesus? How does he know us?

Daniel and John present to us great visions of Jesus of Nazareth – the Son of Man. This vision of goodness and beauty stands in stark contrast to the way the world is depicted (as beasts and demons).

Jesus saves the world from the demons but he cannot do it alone. In an alternate reading for today from Revelation 12:11, we learn that evil in the world is destroyed by "the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony." We need to have our voices join in the battle. We cannot remain silent and passive.

I cannot help but think of the Buddhist monks in Burma. After years of life under a military dictatorship, this week they took to the streets in peaceful protest to support human rights. We know not what motivated them – after decades of repression – to walk in protest. They did not do news interviews or appear on the O'Reilly Factor. Rush Limbaugh and the "dittoheads" did not trumpet their cause. Yet their silent, peaceful witness was eventually met with bullets and bloodshed. News reports tell us that ten men of faith died…speculation runs that the actual death toll is much higher.

These monks spoke with every public step to protest and conquer evil in their lives and in their country – where entire villages are burned and people are beaten, tortured or imprisoned without cause or trial. There is a battle as fierce as that depicted in Daniel or Revelation.

Action

How do we confront evil in the world? Maybe we do not march in front of the troops trying to kill us. But can we speak out in solidarity with the people of Burma? Can we join in boycotting the products of a repressive regime and all those who do business with it? Can we walk in solidarity in front of the embassies and consulates of that nation? Can we write letters to the editor of our local newspapers. Our faith is built upon the principle that all people are created in the image and likeness of God. "People of every nation serve Him." So it does not matter if you are from Bethesda or Burma, Fairfax or Frankfurt, Jena or Joffa, God knows each and every one of us before we are even born.

The Lord's "kingdom" exists apart from the temporal rulers of the world. As we get to know Him, we realize what He wants us to do in life. And that is to serve him and help him to conquer evil – around the corner, around the country and around the world.