Until Jesus came, history had no direction. However, when, on the fiftieth day after his resurrection, he ascended to heaven to sit at the right hand of the almighty Father, he promised his second coming and the descent of the Holy Spirit. His second coming set the course for human history.
He gave me faith that humanity has not only a past, but also a future. During the Ascension, tongues of flame shot up from the ground and carved the footprints of the Man of God into the rock forever on the Mount of Olives.
Jesus Christ was indeed resurrected, but he was no longer resurrected in a mortal body, - according to the Catholic writer Antal Ijjas - even if the doubting Tamás could touch the stigmata. Jesus rose in the body of an immortal man, in the sign of the Holy Spirit, with the message that God's grace freed people from death and granted them eternal life.
From here on, history means the future. The personal and immortal future of people and the faith of mankind that the kingdom of God is within reach. Or if we translate it into Greek: the Golden Age is available.
However, the future does not come in a horizontal field, with the continuous passage of time, but along a vertical path leading to the sky, which is also not a physical concept, but a transcendent reality.
God created you in his own image, so act according to your holy spirit - says the teaching! Man and his communities function well when they accept this outpouring and live accordingly.
My country is not of this world. says Jesus! And we know he is the most powerful force on earth and in heaven.
However, his power did not come from weapons, not from the number of his soldiers, not from his wealth, not from his castles, but from his spirit. From his gentle teachings, his healing hands, his patience, his just character, his fearless words, from the fact that he single-handedly dislodged the kuffars from God's house if necessary. Because he wanted to uplift the poor and forgive the guilty. At the cost of the Savior's death and resurrection, to set us all free - to eternal life!
Our knowledge of eternal life also means that we have limitations here on this Earth. We must constantly examine our hearts to see if they are inhabited by good or bad spirits. Greed, insatiable desire, selfishness, the enthronement of our mortal self, the exploitation of others, the longing envy, the attraction of disruptive, destructive, speculating, lying demons rob us of the happiness that the coming of the Holy Spirit has given us.
It should be noticed that the evil that is rushing at us is nothing more than an abuse of free will, a dance with invading demons that we could not limit or hold in check. Mostly not because we are also lying to ourselves! There are those who desire tinsel power, promise fire and wood, just to rule our souls. This is Satan's ball, which Bulgakov so brilliantly presents in The Master and Margarita.
Yet we also see it in the example of Jesus: Good has much greater, life-sustaining power!
The future is within us. We would still be living in the Golden Age today! Unhappiness is caused by a lack of faith, the fear that we will die! That's why we try to avoid running out of techniques, by running over each other to make use of the perceived life content as long as possible! Then pipes hang out of us and we see our limitations: we feel a great emptiness in our hearts! Lack of faith sucks!
Once a Roman soldier, a centurion, came to Jesus and told him that his servant was dying, he was suffering a lot, would he help him heal him? Jesus wanted to set out, but the soldier said:
"Lord, I am not worthy to come to my abode, just say the word and my servant will be healed!" Jesus was amazed and said: "Truly, I say to you, I have not found such faith in anyone in Israel." Then Jesus said to the centurion: "Go and let it be as you have believed." His servant was healed in that hour.
The Pentecost roses open, the birds chirp, the fruit trees bloom, they do their thing. Everything proclaims the love of God. That we should walk in the footsteps of the Nazarene, follow his path, and then we will reach the Golden Age right here and now. History reaches its destination!
It is enough if we bear the burden of the sun, and he will take care of us, as he takes care of the birds of the sky.
Featured photo: israelinfo.com
