Observing the fig tree

The end of the Liturgical Year is approaching. The Lectionary of the Roman Catholic Church uses passages today from the Book of Daniel and the Gospel of Luke to encourage us to look around to see that our inheritance as children of God is triumph over the oppressors of our freedom and to live in intimacy with God. Friar Jude Winkler teaches that the references in Daniel to the four great beasts is about the four kingdoms which dominated the land of Israel prior to the 1st Century BCE. These oppressors will be judged and defeated by God who will restore Israel to dominion in the region. The signs of the collapse of empires are visible for the informed observer to see. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus refers to the folk knowledge by which we use the changes in the nature we observe to tell us of the change of seasons. The part of our spiritual journey in these bodies will end. We are aware of some of the signs. We should use this knowledge to maintain our attentiveness to the prompting of the Spirit as our compass to following the path of intimacy with the Divine.