If you’d like to join me for my weekly Scripture reflection series, I’ll be using the RSVCE of the Bible. Here is the entire Matthew XXVIII passage.
“There was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone, and sat upon it […] the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid; for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead.’”
When Mary and Mary Magdalene discovered that Jesus had been resurrected, the earth trembled; it trembled because powerful, glorious news was about to arrive. Perhaps this can be likened to the current state of the world. Figuratively, the earth has been shaking for months as recent events have brought to light the copious amounts of evil in our world. Rioting, defacing property, destroying statues, falsifying hate crimes, and falsifying sexual abuse – a smorgasbord of immoral actions which generally attempt to justify themselves by hiding behind ostensibly just causes. These immoral actions, however, have done nothing but undermine these causes, making it even harder for real change to occur and for justice and equality to be achieved.
The question is: why is this the current state of the world? Why does it seem like society is working backward? While we can only speculate, as no one can answer that question except God, we can look to Scripture for potential answers. Perhaps this is the earth trembling as we await glorious news ahead.
“Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.’”
Our world has become far too accustomed to the idea that ‘seeing is believing,’ and this has had detrimental consequences for the prevalence of faith in modern-day society. Not too long ago, people would ensure that their relationships – familial, romantic, or otherwise – were centered around God. Now, more and more individuals are turning their backs away from the Lord, and, with this, rates of divorce, single-parent homes, racist behavior, and sexual immorality have skyrocketed. In fact, these rates have reached all-time highs, and it is no coincidence that this has happened in a time when our society is far more hostile to religious observance than it has been at any time in the past.
To maintain balance, we need Christ at the center of our lives. We are not meant to be fulfilled solely with earthly possessions and accomplishments; we are meant to continually thank the Lord for everything we are afforded here on earth, and the best ways to show Him that we are grateful is to lead our lives centered around and guided by Him. We should say grace before meals, pray at night, attend Mass, and thank God every day. Though we cannot see Him, we must believe He is there watching us and showing us the way. As His followers, we are commanded to believe in Him, spread the word, and help others who have not yet seen His light learn to do the same.
“‘I am with you always, to the close of the age.’”
Great post! Thank you for sharing this!
Thanks for reading!
Awww, I love reading your post. And I’m glad I’ve started praying everyday, expressing gratitude and I’ve seen improvements in my state of mind. I love the peace I feel. Thank you for sharing
I’m so happy to hear God has helped improve your state of mind! He works wonders ✨
This post is a beautiful one, and even though I’m not exactly a practicing Catholic, I believe that Christ’s teachings are universal. You don’t have to be Christian or religious to understand that putting others before yourself, loving them and demonstrating kindness and acceptance, is a good way to live. It’s not hard to be kind and just treat people with respect. I have no idea how people have become so entitled and self centered that they believe and act as the world is orbiting around them and only them. It’s truly frightening to realize people can be so utterly heartless when really we are all capable of great kindness and love.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful feedback. I completely agree that people have become far too focused on themselves, and it’s been disappointing to see how kindness and love have fallen through the cracks in many situations. I hope and pray that people welcome God’s light back into their lives soon.
Great verse.
Thanks for reading!
“To maintain balance, we need Christ at the center” Oh how true that is! I notice that when my life starts to fall apart around me its because HE has not been my focus. This was an excellent reminder of that, thank you!
Yes!! It’s so important to keep Him at the center of our lives. Thank you for reading✨
We don’t see enough posts like these! I absolutely love this idea! Please keep up this feature, I find your discussion of Scripture so interesting xxx
Thank you, and I’m so glad to hear you like this series!
Great post. I too agree that as a whole, ‘seeing is believing’ is very widespread rather than relying on faith and trust. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for reading!
Love this post! I’t so uplifting and true. We definitely need Christ in the center of our lives everyday!
Thank you for reading!
Another great read! We definitely need Christ at the center of everything we do. It seems like time is repeating itself and the time of the story of the pharisees and jesus reminds me of what is happening today in our society. As always, thank you for sharing! xxx
Absolutely! Thank you for reading 🙂
Great post – very insightful and thought-provoking
Thanks for reading!