Silent Encounter

Reflection for Monday of the 22nd week in Ordinary Time Year I
(1Th 4:13—18; Lk 4:16—30)
St Paul welcomes us this day with comforting words about our final encounter with Jesus Christ. “For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep”(1 Thes 4:14). Thus Jesus is that Centre of contact between the living and the dead. So at the rapture, the living and the dead shall be caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord.

It becomes necessary, therefore, that our faith-journey, which looks towards the rapture, must allow Jesus to occupy a central stage. We cannot relegate Christ Jesus to any particular corner of our lives. With Jesus at the centre, sickness and health, poverty and richness, single or married, life and death, now have a common reference! Opposing questions of life have one answer in Christ Jesus.

Jesus steps into his home town of Nazareth. After reading from the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah about preaching the Good news to the poor, and setting captives free, “And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him” (Lk 4:20). Silence reigned! It was such a powerful moment of pause that arrested the attention of all in the synagogue. It was like the moment of rapture that St Paul described above, in which all would be caught up with Christ Jesus in the air. Their silent gaze upon Jesus exposed their yearning to have the good news to the poor fulfilled. But the silence of Jesus held the suspense!

The quiet expectations of the congregation had its satisfaction right before them, but they did not know. Had they known, there would not be need for Him to speak at all. So Jesus broke the silence... “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Surprisingly, they rejected Him saying, “Is this not Joseph's Son?”

Clearly they did not understand His silence, that was why they could not accept His words! The silence of Jesus summons us to deep personal encounter, in which Jesus becomes the centre of our being, and His words will take root in our hearts. It is as if rapture is already taking place in the depths of our hearts as we constantly struggle to sustain a silent gaze upon Him at the centre of our hearts.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
St Joseph the Worker Chaplaincy,
Trade Fair Complex, Lagos.
Monday September 2, 2019.