Fr. Luke Macnamara: The vision of the end of time is compared to the flood in the days of Noah. Strikingly, the people swept away by the flood are not described as great sinners; they are simply going about their ordinary lives—eating, drinking, marrying—yet they are unprepared for the coming of the Lord’s salvation. Noah, whose Hebrew name signifies “rest,” embodies in his person what the Lord desires to offer his people. It seems that most were too busy with their daily tasks—perhaps even neglecting the Sabbath rest—and so failed to respond to God’s call in their lives.
Isaiah presents a hopeful vision of all nations streaming to the temple of the Lord. There, all will hear the Lord’s teaching and learn how to walk in his ways. The Lord’s instruction brings about profound change: not only do the nations gather together as one, but their relationships are transformed.
The teaching of the Lord promises change to all who heed it. The word of the Lord, which caused the hearts of the disciples on the road to Emmaus to burn, can smelt the hardened metal within us, transforming it from weapons of war into tools for tilling the land—tools that provide food and foster peace. These metal objects can be seen as symbols of our human capacities: our ability to relate to God, to ourselves, and to one another. St Benedict’s vision is that these capacities become tools of good works. If some of these capacities have become instruments of conflict, the transforming word is given to us to smelt and reshape them. The metal that enters the foundry of the word is the same metal that emerges again; nothing of our human capacity or energy is lost—rather, it is transformed and redirected toward good works.
Tools must be properly crafted to fit our hands and to be of service. God has revealed to us the proper shape our capacities—our will, our energy—should take in order to live in communion with God, with ourselves, and with others. This shape is revealed in Jesus Christ, which is why St Paul can speak symbolically of Christ as our armour.
We require armour—not swords or spears—but the tools of good works. These are the tools that will keep us aligned with Christ when the burglar arrives at an unexpected hour. Conformed to Christ, we and our households are safeguarded against the shifting tides of human relationships, the disappointments of life, and the shattering of dreams. Christ reveals our true destiny in a sustaining vision: that we will all come to the one house of the Lord, dwell there together, and continually hear his word, which holds us in peace in his presence.
Let this vision guide our hope and shape our lives. Let the word burn within our hearts so that our capacities may be transformed for good. And let this vision and this word open us to welcome and receive the empowering gift of the Eucharist at this Mass.