Mark, My Words:

What does it mean to you when you hear the words, “This, too, shall pass”? Is it comforting, sanctimonious... or just a cop-out? Is it only for the desperate, who have no other choices?

St. Paul says it in different images today. “From now on, let those who are married live as though they were not; and those who mourn live as though they were not mourning....” Really? How could we possibly do that? It’s a total contradiction.

Paul is simply looking at BOTH the “now” and at the “not yet,” simultaneously. He wants us to take a panoramic view of God’s world - that God’s purposes are still being worked out, until Jesus comes again. So, we shouldn’t be so over-focused on our current commitments - whether it’s our grandchildren, our jobs, or our special friendships.

So, St. Paul reminds us, “Don’t make an idol out of what is preoccupying you in normal everyday life” - whether it is good OR bad. If all that fascinates you in life is your husband’s and children’s needs, wants, and problems... then you have let something very good (or very bad) absorb you until it blocks out everything else in life. Because no matter how good or how bad it is - “this, too, shall pass.”

We have to “get over ourselves,” and get with Jesus’ agenda: keep awake in the moment, and be ready to be Christ to the next person in need. Or, be the only Bible that some people will ever read.