Our Lord tells us that at the time of the coming of the Son of Man, upon His return, people will be going about their day-to-day lives and activities, without a second thought in the world and just at that moment, two will be together and one will be taken, while another is left behind. These can be frightful and anxious ridden images. And indeed, some recent misinterpretations play on these images of the fear of being Left Behind, but it is only fear ridden if we forget or lose sight of one very important thing: the Goodness and Perfection of God’s Providential Love.
The purpose of the coming and return of the Son of Man is not for the destruction of the world, but for the final salvation and celebration of the wedding banquet at the union of heaven and earth; He is the Bridegroom who has returned to be married to His bride, the Church; He has come to make all things new and to bring to fulfillment the arrival of the Kingdom of God. That one will be taken and another left is not meant as a warning of fear, but a recollection of the virgins who waited the arrival of the Bridegroom. It is about remembering the promise in times of darkness, of long waiting and uncertainty.
We know of God’s Divine Providence through prophecy, both in the prophets of the Old Testament and the words of our Lord Jesus Christ. These are not prophecies intended to predict the future, but by recalling who God is and His great desire for us, we actually find confidence and discover what it will be like when we are in fullness of union with Him.
We come to know of His Providence through blessings and favors, these are the consolations that St. Terese and countless others describe. These are not rewards like teachers may give a student for answering a question right, but the natural effect of God smiling upon us. It is like feeling the warmth of the sun as it comes from behind the clouds. Where God’s favor and the fruitfulness of the Holy Spirit is, that is a sign of His Providence.
His Providence works through hardship and obstacles, not the kind that come at the end of a challenge, but in the form of redirecting us, making us turn in a different direction and letting our plans fall through. That we must remain open to some of the more common frustrations in life, that they are in fact, not bad luck and misfortune, but the stroke of our Father’s hand pushing us toward His Providential plan.
To follow His Providence also requires active discernment—the Discernment of Spirits—, it can come through signs of comfort and encouragement, and many other ways. Above all, that we may know, in His Divine Providence, that it is all for our redemption and the eternal experience of His Love.