4 While they were eating together, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for what the Father had promised. He said, “This is what you heard from me: 5 John baptized with water, but in only a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
6 As a result, those who had gathered together asked Jesus, “Lord, are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now?”
7 Jesus replied, “It isn’t for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has set by his own authority.
Reflection
In the verse the precedes today’s scripture we are told “He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.” This wasn’t new information for them. Jesus had repeatedly said what the priests and prophets had told them for years: the kingdom of God was coming, but no one knew when. I can only imagine how the disciples had been longing and lamenting, and continuously praying for God’s kingdom to finally arrive! I imagine them looking at one another repeatedly saying, “How long do we have to wait?” Have you ever felt that way when you pray? Can you imagine what “it” will look like, or be like, when “it” comes?
I recently read something about that gives me some insight into “when God answers our prayers.” As humans we have been blessed with the ability to remember the past and to dream about the future. Unfortunately, that blessing also leads us sometimes to wallow in despair, as we dwell on the past or imagine potential disasters. In doing so, we essentially spend the majority of our conscious time living in the past or in the future – not present to the reality of the here and now. There are only two questions that really matter on our spiritual journey. The first is: Where am I? The second is: What time is it? There is only one answer to each of these questions: Here and Now. The only time and place one can encounter the
Divine is here and now – not in the past or in the future.
We don’t get to know WHEN something is going to happen. We can only remain present in the HERE and NOW so we are listening when God tells us “the time is Now.”
by Kathleen Stolz
For Pondering and Prayer
Have you ever had one of those moments when you just knew that you and the Divine were on the same wavelength? One of those moments when you are absolutely certain that you are just where you were meant to be? And you just know that the only answer to “How in the world did that happen?” is “It was a God thing.” Did you ever have a moment like that?
It can happen Here. It can happen Now. Be present to the Presence of the
Spirit.
I admit that I seldom watch football on TV but recently I was walking past the TV when a football player threw something like a 75-yard pass, a Hail Mary pass if ever there was one. One of his teammates was standing in the endzone and caught it. He was as amazed as every person watching. That player was speechless as the ball fell into his arms. All he could say was “It was all God.”
Prayer: Divine Creator, we long to meet you on our journey through life. Sometimes we forget that you are always available, but we are too busy to notice your presence. Help us take the time to slow down, O Divine One. Breathe. Simply breathe. Calm the chatter in our minds so that we might be present for you in the here and now. Amen.
