outer darkness, weeping, and gnashing of teeth
58°F 96% wind NE 14 mph, cloudy, drizzle yesterday, now, today and tomorrow, but it's fall, eh, autumn, no complaints, this is seasonal and Life is Good. I woke up alive again this morning in 7H where Every Day Is A Beautiful Day. Opened the door and looked out but, counter to usual, did not step outside and peer over the porch railing because I don't want to get my socks wet. Yes, Bubba wears socks, my feet get cold. Not tight, soft and easy, these black socks have a white rubber pad on the sole and they come up almost to my knees.
Happy Wednesday dark early o'clock from here, with last sip of tasty coffee club coffee, November issue.
Checking news, war news for Gaza-Israel and for Ukraine-Russia, all war news is all bad including it is Hamas not Israel that made hospitals into battlegrounds, and a fighting force so contemptibly amoral as to imperil its most vulnerable by fighting from hospitals is entitled to neither quarter nor mercy. I'm no conspiracy theorist, but it should be obvious to any sane person that forces who hate us are at work drawing the US down. Climate change, politics outlook, all bad news: why do I do this to myself, worry over things I can do nothing about, all the more so as a Super-Ager and ...
Not into shoulds and oughts, what to do with, how best to use this Time of life and day? Life is short, and we haven't much Time.
Here's our gospel reading for the upcoming Sunday
Matthew 25:14-30
Jesus said, “It is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’
And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’
Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest.
So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”
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What to make of this? Well, it's apocalyptic, isn't it! The conversation, which is actually not back and forth but a discourse, takes place after Jesus and his disciples have left the temple and are at the Mount of Olives. The disciples ask Jesus about the End of Time, the Second Coming, and the forthcoming kingdom of God on earth (Matthew nearly always calls it the kingdom of heaven, which is misleading for most readers). What will it be like, that "new age"? Well, as a matter of fact, it will be a nightmare for many, especially for those who did nothing with the short Time they had in life: again, life is short, remember?, and we haven't much Time, so don't waste it; and if you do waste it anyway, in spite of Jesus' warnings, you will lose everything.
Not to lay shoulds and oughts on you when I refuse to lay them on myself, but what should you do with your Time of life? My best answer is to follow the precepts of our baptismal covenant, primarily the last two,
Will you see and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?
Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?
How are you doing? I'm not sure I'm doing so well, how about you?
T88&c