Jesus speaks of the end, a time that is preceded by wars, famine, plagues, earthquakes, and mighty signs. He will come, but many will come before him wishing to deceive us. Our task is to learn how to discern his genuine presence even in the midst of adversity, even when he seems to be taking very long.
The words of the poet, Rainer Maria Rilke, may serve as inspiration: “I imagine one can never tell whether God is in a story before one has finished it completely. For if only two words of the telling are still missing—indeed if nothing but the pause after the last word is still outstanding, he may yet come.”