“Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?” Speculation about the end times goes back to beginning times. We want to know how the story is going to come out. But Jesus suggests that we resist such speculation. He wants us to live in the present tense, to work to bring the presence of God into the providence of our everyday lives. How important that is when we watch the news and hear about “wars and insurrections, … powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues.” Such disasters can make us imagine that time is winding up. But the future is in God’s hands. We are to respond to God’s grace by lives of courage and integrity.
