December 3, Advent 1B (Mark 13:24-37)
The Gospel reading speaks of the world ending. For some people in the pews, it is.
Losing a job is traumatic. Part of what makes it so horrible is that you don’t really know when it will happen. You go to work, just like any other day. Then you get called into an office and told you are done. The shock of such a wrenching change stays with you for years after the event, long after you’ve found another job.
This has happened to me more than once. I remember the first time was on a Friday. I had plans for the weekend, and I was finishing things up for the day. Then I got called into the office. The next thing I know, I’m surrendering my badge and being escorted out of the building.
It felt as if the world had ended. And in some ways it had.
