“And you will hear tell of wars, and rumors of war; see to it that you are not disturbed in mind; such things must happen, but the end will not come yet. Nation will rise in arms against nation, kingdom against kingdom, and there will be plagues and famines and earthquakes in this region or that; but all this is but the beginning of travail.” (Mathew 24:6-8)
In Matthew 24 Jesus describes what the “Last Days” will look like – false prophets, persecutions, evil everywhere, charity nowhere, and a sense of utter hopelessness.
Many would say this sounds like a fair description of our times. But I suppose people of any time preceding ours might have said the same thing.
Conflict, hate, and evil of all kinds have been all around us since The Fall. What is unique today is the scale, the amplification. Social media and the internet expose everyone to evils of every kind; it is becoming virtually impossible to tune it out and remain a functioning member of society. Widespread conversations packed with ill will have attracted millions of people, turning many of them into animosity addicts. It is hard for even the most loving soul to participate in social media without making a snarky comment or becoming incensed by reading one. Worse, a constant context of conflict pushes people into taking sides. Everything is polarized; one is either for it or against it; there is no middle ground, no room for compromise, no interest in peace.
This is all extremely troubling. Making matters worse are the societal, geopolitical and technological clouds gathering on the horizon: nuclear arms proliferation, rapid development of biological weapons, terrorism, large-scale hot wars, sometimes violent social upheaval ignited by controversies of all kind, concentration of wealth and power such has never before existed, the development of artificial intelligence reaching the point of being beyond our control, fear of a rising “health dictatorship,” etc., etc., etc.
Wow. Is this the end of times? Who knows? The problems seem so vast, and I am so small … what can I do to push away this sense of foreboding?
Plenty, actually.
First, I can take to heart the advice of The Master:
“Only look well to yourselves; do not let your hearts grow dull with revelry and drunkenness and the affairs of this life, so that that day overtakes you unawares; it will come like the springing of a trap on all those who dwell upon the face of the earth. Keep watch, then, praying at all times, so that you may be found worthy to come safe through all that lies before you, and stand erect to meet the presence of the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:34-36)
First, I can get my priorities in order. Jesus reminds me that the things of this world will pass, but what counts is that when the time comes, I must be ready to face God? Ready to face God … That is the thought that has inspired many a deathbed conversion.
Second, I can resist being sucked into the vortex of internet evil. I can limit my exposure. I can return an evil comment with a loving comment.
Third, I can look for the good in the world instead of the bad. There is plenty of good to be seen.
Fourth, I can help lift up the people God has put in my path.
Fifth, I can pray that others do the same. I believe millions of mini-vortexes of love can easily overcome even a giant vortex of evil. Love has behind it the Divine Will. Nothing is more powerful than that.
Prayer
Lord, help me to have hope, hope in You, hope in you always. Please drive away my fears and sense of foreboding and fill me with love for You, family, and neighbor. Help me respond to evil with love.
Further Reading
