Soldiers sometimes complain that the unofficial motto of the army is “hurry up, and wait.” Everything has to be done chop, chop and then things pause for an indeterminate time. The gospel seems to have a similar rhythm. Jesus conveys a sense of urgency at the coming of the kingdom. “Stay awake!” St. Paul was rushing around the known world so that everyone would be ready at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. The reality is that God comes on time not at our time. Two thousand years later we need to recover something of that sense of urgency to change while at the same time waiting patiently for the Lord to bring about a more just and peaceful world.
