Sunday, September 07, 2008 Alipio: Settling in or the long haul By Fr. Jose Alipio The Yoke
LIKE most of the earliest Christians, the apostle Paul believed in the imminent return of Christ to this earth. In fact, early on Paul was convinced that he would never taste of death because Christ would return during his own lifetime. But over the years as Paul grew older, he began to realize that God's timetable may not match his hope to see Christ's return in the flesh. He realized he could no longer pin his faith to a speedy end of human history with all of its perils and failures. He managed to swallow his disappointment and he began instructing his converts to settle in for the long haul. He warned the believers at Thessalonika to let go of the idea that "the day of the Lord is here." Instead, he called on them to stand firm in their faith by bringing glory to the Lord Jesus Christ in every good work and word.
There are times when settling in for the long haul is the hardest thing to do. We usually wish for a shorter timetable for a turn around in life's circumstances. We don't want to cope with the aftermath that follows a heart attack or a stroke. But we will never regain our strength if we don't settle in for the long haul of rehabilitation. We don't like the thought of spending all those years in school to prepare ourselves for a career. But we will cheat ourselves of the chance to make a contribution to life if we do not settle in for the long haul of education. We chafe at the time it takes to reestablish a relationship that we have betrayed. We want things to be like they were before but we undermine that hope if we do not settle in for the long haul of reconciliation. Life takes time and the race does not always go the swift.
