The Absence and The Presence: In the Era of the Secular

The issue facing our times would be both the presence of Christ experienced so closely by his disciples, matched up against the seeming absence of the same Christ by this secular era. This contrast is extreme and peculiar to this era of the secular and to this 21st Century. At the same time, the presumed absence of Christ by our culture actually reinforces the faith of many, enriching their lives with an awareness of the nearness of the same Christ, despite being so denied by this secular era. Thus there is a division of the house occurring between the supposed absence of Christ and the deep seated awareness by others of the risen Christ's presence in the midst of the emptiness of this era. The implications of this division are what is drawing humanity ever more closely to the final day, promised in the words of the Scriptures.