Pondering

Purple Madonna by GP Lebans, Montreal, 2019

November slides into our consciousness between the fun of Hallowe’en and the solemnity of the feast of All Souls. We prance about with our children, but we also visit our memories of those who have died. The harvest is complete and the leaves have mostly fallen, but there is very little snow yet to challenge the damp and cold.

In Mark 13, we hear this story: As Jesus came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down…. When you hear of wars and rumours of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs.”

I read on a social media post that the only people who do not realize that the apocalypse is upon us are those who are sheltered by privilege. An apocalypse is a pause in history when what has been hidden is revealed, and that information will forever change the course of events. If an apocalypse means witnessing an ending, then a renaissance means witnessing something being born. I think these things are concurrent, which is why we tend to focus on one more than another. Things must end so that there is space for new thinking, new invention.

So how are we to live in and through this time? Jesus told us to be wise as snakes and innocent as doves. Serpents are remarkable for their healing potential, although some of them are also venomous. Doves are highly social but are great defenders of their nests.

How we live I think has to do with recognizing that our world is changing as global politics are shifting, as climate change will impact us, and as religions themselves are experiencing the rewriting of assumptions. To be wise and innocent means to be open to challenging assumptions about what we have believed to be true. This is the time for pondering, for asking questions, for listening to the Spirit of compassion within. But it is also the time to take sides with the vulnerable, to be vocal about the need for change, to be humble about who we are and who we have been.

As we move from All Souls to Advent, from the time of blessed endings to the time of disruption, of birth, let us — like Mary — ponder in our hearts all that we have learned, all that we observe, about how God is calling us to live out our faith in this time, in this place.