doing the impossible again
"They beheld stupendous wonders." —Wisdom 19:8
The whole Israelite nation had been enslaved in Egypt for several hundred years. They had no way of ever being freed. Then the Lord did a series of "stupendous wonders" (Wis 19:8) by which He set His people free, "for all creation, in its several kinds, was being made over anew" (Wis 19:6).
As this year dedicated to God the Father comes to a close, we are on the threshold of the Great Jubilee and the third millennium since the Incarnation. In the Jubilee Year, slaves are freed, debts are forgiven, and land is restored to its original "owners" (see Lv 25:28). The Great Jubilee, which Pope John Paul II has prophesied for over twenty years, should be something like the Exodus — only much more extensive. By external appearances, however, we seem to have no chance for the Great Jubilee. We need again for the Lord to do "stupendous wonders."
"Will not God then do justice to His chosen who call out to Him day and night? Will He delay long over them, do you suppose? I tell you, He will give them swift justice. But when the Son of Man comes, will He find any faith on the earth?" (Lk 18:7-8)
Prayer: Father, do it again.
Promise: "Your all-powerful word from heaven's royal throne bounded, a fierce warrior, into the doomed land, bearing the sharp sword of your inexorable decree. And as he alighted, he filled every place with death." —Wis 18:15-16
Praise: Mother Cabrini came to the United States as a missionary to the poor, orphans, underprivileged, and sick. She herself became the first fruit of her mission, becoming the first American citizen to be canonized a saint in 1946.
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Ralph J. Lawrence, April 10, 1999
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, April 16, 1999