The End

What do we believe about the end of the world and the final judgment of mankind?

Just as the world had a beginning in time, so it will have an end. As Jesus explains in today’s gospel, there will come a day when the sun and moon will no longer shine and the stars will fall from the sky. There will come a point when history will have run its course and the earth will be no more.

God has not revealed to us when this end will come. As Jesus tells us, “But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Therefore, if anyone claims to know when the end of the world will take place they are liars and deceivers. Throughout history there have been those claiming to have secret knowledge of the day and hour of Christ’s coming, but they have been wrong. Only God knows when that day will come, and there will be no doubt when it does come.

As we profess in our creed, at the end of the world, Christ will come in glory to judge the living and the dead. Jesus tells us, “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.” When Jesus came among us the first time at His birth, it was in a quiet way. He was born in a humble manger. It was witnessed to only by Our Blessed Mother, Saint Joseph and some meek shepherds. However, when Jesus comes again it will be in great glory. He will reveal His victory over evil for all the world to see. There will be no doubt that He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Saint Paul tells us that every knee will bend before Him. Even the greatest sinner will be forced to acknowledge along with the greatest saint that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Scripture teaches us that when Jesus comes it will be to judge the living and dead. God has left us His word in the Bible and has guided humanity through the centuries by the teaching of the Church. At His Second Coming, Jesus will call each of us to account as to how we have lived up to our faith. The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us:

                        Then will the conduct of each one and the secrets of hearts

                        be brought to light... Our attitude about our neighbor will

                        disclose acceptance or refusal of grace and divine love.

                        On the Last Day Jesus will say: “Truly I say to you, as

                        you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you

                        did it to me.”

The words of Jesus should give us pause. Each of us will have to give an account of the choices we have made in this life. Each of us will stand before Jesus to answer for how we have put to use the blessings He has given us. Every day of our lives we should keep this in mind. As Saint James tells us, “Always speak and act as people destined for judgement under the law of love.” It is true that God is exceedingly merciful and we can trust that He will treat us with love and tenderness. But it is also true that He is a just judge who will bring to light all that is hidden in our hearts both the good and the evil. If we do not want to stand in shame before Him, we must work today to amend our lives and accept the grace to make choices that will be pleasing to our Heavenly Father.

Finally, the Church teaches us that the end of the world will come after a time of great upheaval. It will be a time when people everywhere will be rejecting the word of God to put a false optimism in human achievement in its place. When this happens, the Church will be persecuted as “backwards” and as an obstacle to progress. Then all believers will have to decide whether they will be swept up in the tide or whether they will stand up for the eternal truths of the Gospel. Will we abandon our faith for the fashion of the day or will we persevere in the teaching handed down to us from Jesus who tells us that “Heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away”? How we decide will determine how it will go for us on Judgment Day.

It has been the unwavering teaching of the Church that the world will end and Christ will come to judge the living and the dead. As followers of Jesus, we should stay sober and alert. At every moment of our lives we have the opportunity to accept or reject the grace that God is offering us. By accepting His offer of love and friendship we can be assured that we will spend eternity in Heaven with Him. So we should not fear the end of the world and our final judgment but prepare for it through prayer and good works. We should also await it with confidence because Jesus took on the punishment we deserve by dying on the cross for us. If He has loved us so much, then we can be assured that He will treat us with mercy if we have lived a life of faith. Let us give our hearts over to him without reserve so that we can have the grace to persevere to the end and be examples of hope to a world that has fallen into despair.

Time Is Short

It seems hard to believe that it is already over eighteen years ago that the world was caught up in worry over the "Y2K bug". The fear was that, once the year changed to 2000, the calendars that regulate computers would become confused. It was predicted that the computers controlling the nation's power grids and the world's financial institutions would go haywire and fail. Electricity would be cut off, financial records would be erased and communication networks would fail. Countless millions of dollars were spent to try to upgrade computers and circumvent the "bug". In the end, the year 2000 arrived like every other year, without incident. All the worry and fear were for nothing.

After that, we heard predictions of calamity surrounding the end of the year 2012. It had something to do with the end of the calendar developed by the Mayan civilization that flourished in South America prior to the arrival of the Spanish and also something to do with predictions made by the French astrologer, Nostradamus.  Countless television programs touted how reliable these predictions were, even though so many of them have failed in the past. Thankfully, the year 2012 came and went without incident. No doubt there will be another date in the future for which there will be even more predictions of the end of the world.

All these fears are fed by a sense that we are living in a time of rapid change, and not all of it is for the better. Whether it is the economy, the climate or society in general, things are not as they were in the past. There is great unease in not knowing what lies in the future. Our world feels unbalanced and unstable. It is natural to feel that it is all building up to an unhappy ending. 

Both the Old and New Testaments speak frequently about the end of the world and the coming judgment of God. The first reading from the book of Daniel is one example, as is the gospel reading. We call this type of literature in the Bible  "apocalyptic" writing. The premiere example of it is the book of Revelations which is also sometimes called the "Apocalypse". Though in our popular culture the word "apocalypse" tends to mean a "catastrophe", the original Greek word literally means "drawing back the veil". When the apocalypse happens, as the Bible teaches us it will, the veil which separates heaven and earth will be opened like a stage curtain. God will be revealed in all his majesty and glory along with Christ so that there will be no doubt that he exists and that his word is true. At the same time, the curtain will be drawn back on us as well. The intentions of our hearts, the good or evil of our actions and our innermost thoughts will be revealed as we stand before the throne of our God.

When the authors of Scripture, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote about the end of the world, they intended neither to scare us nor make exact predictions about when the end of the world would occur. In fact, Jesus tells us that even he does not know when these events would take place. Rather this type of literature appears in the Bible during times of intense persecution to encourage believers to not abandon their faith but to remain faithful and persevere. For example, the book of Daniel from which today's first readings are taken was written at a time when Jews living outside of Jerusalem were being forced to give up their beliefs and traditions. The gospel of Mark as well as the book of Revelations were likewise written at a time when Christians were being fiercely persecuted both in Jerusalem and in Rome. They wanted believers to know and understand that God will appear to judge harshly those who have made his beloved people suffer and that, if they remain faithful to him, they will share in his victory.

In today's world, we are fortunate to have the freedom to worship God and live our faith. But that does not mean that we are not persecuted. We only have to watch television for five minutes or read the front page of the newspaper to see our beliefs and way of life being ridiculed. The message is constantly going out that Christianity is backwards and meaningless in today's world. That along with the upheaval in our society and the allure of material things may cause us to question our faith and make us wonder if the sacrifices our baptismal vows require of us are really worth it. It is at those times that we must remember Jesus' words, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away." Governments come and go. Fashions and popular trends come and go. But we are guided by the light of God's word, and we press on with our eyes focused on Christ and his promise of eternal life. When we do so, we can be assured that we will not stumble and fall for Jesus promises us that those who believe in him will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.  

Jesus certainly does teach us that the world will eventually come to an end, and there will be much turbulence and tribulation leading up to it. It sounds terrifying. But, for the believer, the end of the world will be glorious. Jesus will reveal himself to all peoples as the Son of God and Savior of the World. As the second reading from the letter to the Hebrews reminds us, all God's enemies will be placed under his feet. This includes especially sin and death which will have no more power over us. Though we will be judged for the good and evil we have done, we must remember that it is the Father who offered his Son to death for our salvation who will be weighing us in the scales. If we have made a sincere effort to cooperate with his grace and live according to his word, we can be assured that he will look upon us with mercy for he knows our hearts. Our struggle against sin, the sacrifices we have made and the ridicule we have endured will seem nothing when we look upon the face of God and know that we will spend eternity with him.

Blazing Like An Oven

There are many unpleasant facts of life we try to avoid thinking or talking about. First among these is our own death. Our life is precious, and we cannot bear the thought of losing it. Nonetheless it is a reality that we need to be aware of and come to terms with. As unpleasant as it may be to think about, it is unavoidable.

Every year in November with the days growing darker and winter fast approaching, we as a Church reflect upon some disturbing and sometimes terrifying realities - our death and the end of the world.

It is one of the articles of faith which we profess boldly in the creed: Christ will come again to judge the living and the dead. All of human history is building up to the moment when Jesus will be revealed as the Son of God. At that point, everyone will have to acknowledge Him as Lord and Savior. We will all bend the knee before the One who comes to bring justice to the earth. For those of us who have already welcomed his grace into our hearts and proclaimed Him as Lord of our lives it will be a joyful day. But for those who have denied Him and lived only for this world and its pleasures, the revelation of God’s justice will be painful and humiliating.

Our first reading comes from the book of the prophet Malachi. He uses the image of fire to describe the coming day of the Lord saying that it will “blaze like an oven”. Fire can be a very useful thing for us. We can use it for light, for warmth or to cook our food. However, if we fail to respect its power, that same fire can also burn us and destroy our property. In the same way, if we love God and live according to His word, His coming will be a fire that brings us light and warmth. However, if we have not respected Him and have not loved our neighbor, His coming will burn us and destroy all that we thought was important.

And so, every day of our lives we have a decision to make. Will we live according to God’s word or will we live only for our own desires? Will we form our minds according to the Bible or according to the values of the society around us? Will we respect the life and dignity of every human being or will we remain silent while millions of babies are aborted and many millions more live in poverty? We have the power to shape our future by the choices we make today. The day will come, however, when it will be too late to choose, when our destiny will already be set. How it turns out depends on God’s mercy and on our willingness to show His mercy to others today.

It is important for us to keep in mind that, when we preach about the realities of our own death and the end of the world, it is not meant to fill our hearts with fear. It is not God’s desire for us to live in trepidation for the future. Rather we discuss these uncomfortable topics so that we may be converted and change the way we live while there is still time. We also reflect on these realities so that we can learn to trust God more. He has our life and destiny in His hands. If we love Him and listen to His word, we can be sure that He will guide us on the path to life.

Jesus speaks to this in today’s gospel. He tells his disciples who are marveling at the beauty of the temple in Jerusalem that a day will come when it will all be destroyed. This is a shock to them. The temple was a massive structure constructed of large stone blocks which took over forty years to build. It was a marvel of engineering and architecture. Moreover, it was the dwelling place of God on earth. It was unimaginable to the people of Jesus’ day that it could ever be destroyed. Though the disciples are alarmed, Jesus does not tell them this to frighten them. Even when He tells them that they will be hauled off and put to death, He wants them to know that they need not fear. He will always be with them. He wants them not to be afraid but to be aware. No matter what will happen, they can trust that He will provide for them. Nothing can happen to separate them from their Heavenly Father.

We are living in a time of large scale transition in our society and in our world. We cannot tell what will happen and can feel anxious for the future. The world as we know it is passing away. As Jesus said, there are many who claim to have the answer to society’s ills. But there is only One who can cure what is really disordered in the human heart. That is God Himself. He alone can burn away the sin which destroys our families and communities. No matter how well organized governments may be or how sound the economy, if we continue hating one another, lying and cheating each other, our society cannot enjoy peace. Only by humbling turning to God and submitting to His will can we ever find any real solutions to the problems plaguing our world. There is no other way than The Way, Jesus Christ.

And so, as we reflect on these sometimes disturbing realities, we need not be afraid. God will provide us with the strength we need to endure whatever trials may come. And He will provide us with the grace we need to live everyday of our lives in accordance with His word so that, when He does come again we will be ready to embrace Him and bend the knee before Him in reverence and awe rather than in shame and fear.

Let Us Not Be Put To The Test

Today marks four years that we have been worshipping with the new English translation of the Mass. It was a work that was many years in the making all in hopes of ensuring that the text we use to celebrate the liturgy will be more faithful to the original Latin as well as more conducive to our prayer as a community.

Even after four years we may still be struggling to get used to new responses when the old ones were so familiar to us. Every now and then we hear someone say, “And also with you” instead of “And with your spirit.” Many of us still need to follow along in the missalette when the “Glory to God in the Highest” or the Creed is prayed. Hopefully, over the past four years, this new translation is becoming second nature to us as we begin to memorize the prayers and responses.

At the time that the bishops were working on this new translation, there was also talk of changing the Our Father. Those who advocated a new translation of the Lord’s Prayer argued that many of the words and phrases were antiquated and hard to understand. For instance, in common language we never say, “thou art”, as we do in the Our Father. Another antiquated word is “hallowed”, which means “holy”. Many thought that a new translation of the Our Father would make it more understandable to modern worshippers. However, it was decided that since this prayer was so much a part not only of the Mass but of the private prayers and devotions of the faithful, it would not be wise to change it.

One of the phrases in the Our Father which many scholars argued should be changed was the last sentence - “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” This phrase has often caused confusion for people. Does God tempt us? Can God lead us to sin? Of course not. Then what could be the meaning of this last sentence of the prayer Jesus taught us?

Many biblical scholars agree that a better translation of this last sentence would be “do not let us be put to the test.” In the prayer that Jesus taught, we are asking God to protect us when we our faith is tested. This would not only include moments of temptation but the times when we need to defend our faith. It also is a prayer asking for strength to stand firm when we are persecuted for our beliefs. We ask God not only to spare us from persecution but to give us the power to endure it and to remain faithful when we are singled out for punishment because of our faith.

When Jesus taught His disciples this prayer, He no doubt had in mind the words of today’s gospel which points to the end times. Jesus teaches us that the days leading up to the end of the world will be a time of great turbulence and tribulation. He tells us that people will even die of fright, so horrifying will be the signs manifested in the sky and on the earth. Finally, he warns us, “Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent…” When these events take place - and they will - our faith will be tested. We need God’s help to remain faithful until the end, so that we can hold our head up and rejoice when Jesus comes again to judge the living and the dead. Therefore, when we pray, “And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil,” we are asking God specifically for strength and perseverance to endure the tribulations which will come at the end of the world.

Of course, none of us knows when the world will end. However, there is plenty of tribulation in our world today. There is violence, crime and poverty in so many of our cities. Many nations find themselves in bloody conflicts between ethnic and religious groups. As a Christian community, we are struggling to defend our right to live our faith and pass it on to our children. We do not have to wait until the end of the world to ask God for strength to maintain our faith and to be delivered from evil.

As Christians, what attitude should we take as we confront a world that seems to be coming apart at the seams? Today’s second reading from Saint Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians instructs us. He prays that our love for one another will increase and that our hearts will remain blameless. As Christians, we are to confront the world’s evils with love. When we are insulted, we are to return a blessing instead. We are to pray for those who persecute and mistreat us because of our beliefs. When we see our brothers and sisters suffering, we are to do whatever we can to comfort them. Love and faith are our primary weapons in the battle against evil in the world.

The other attitude we are to have is vigilance. In our day and age, we can allow ourselves to be swallowed up by the fast pace of life. We can go from day to day forging ahead and paying little attention to the needs of our soul for silence and prayer. Our busy schedules become an excuse for ignoring our neighbor in need. Jesus warns us that the anxieties of daily life can make us drowsy and slow to respond to Him when He calls us. In effect, He is telling us to wake up and to look for the signs of His presence all around us.

Today, we begin this great season of Advent. It is a time to look back to the events of Jesus’ birth. It is also a time to look ahead to His promise that He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. At the same time, it is an opportunity for us to wake up and open our eyes to all the signs of His presence among us today. We need that vigilance in today’s fast paced world which so often overlooks the needs of the poor and tramples underfoot the rights of the weakest among us. We need to stand firm in our faith in a world that resists recognizing the dignity of every human life and the sanctity of the family. We pray along with Jesus not to be lead into temptation. At the same time, we pray that we will have the strength to endure whatever may come. The Eucharist we are about to receive is the bread that strengthens us and teaches us to recognize Jesus not only in the Bread of Life but in everyone we meet, especially the weakest and poorest among us. 

No Stone Will Be Left On Another

There are many unpleasant facts of life we try to avoid thinking or talking about. First among these is our own death. Our life is precious, and we cannot bear the thought of losing it. Nonetheless it is a reality that we need to be aware of and come to terms with. As unpleasant as it may be to think about, it is unavoidable.

 

Every year in November with the days growing darker and winter fast approaching, we as a Church reflect upon some disturbing and sometimes terrifying realities - our death and the end of the world.

 

It is one of the articles of faith which we profess boldly in the creed: Christ will come again to judge the living and the dead. All of human history is building up to the moment when Jesus will be revealed as the Son of God. At that point, everyone will have to acknowledge Him as Lord and Savior. We will all bend the knee before the One who comes to bring justice to the earth. For those of us who have already welcomed his grace into our hearts and proclaimed Him as Lord of our lives it will be a joyful day. But for those who have denied Him and lived only for this world and its pleasures, the revelation of God’s justice will be painful and humiliating.

 

Our first reading comes from the book of the prophet Malachi. He uses the image of fire to describe the coming day of the Lord saying that it will “blaze like an oven”. Fire can be a very useful thing for us. We can use it for light, for warmth or to cook our food. However, if we fail to respect its power, that same fire can also burn us and destroy our property. In the same way, if we love God and live according to His word, His coming will be a fire that brings us light and warmth. However, if we have not respected Him and have not loved our neighbor, His coming will burn us and destroy all that we thought was important.

 

And so, every day of our lives we have a decision to make. Will we live according to God’s word or will we live only for our own desires? Will we form our minds according to the Bible or according to the values of the society around us? Will we respect the life and dignity of every human being or will we remain silent while millions of babies are aborted and many millions more live in poverty? We have the power to shape our future by the choices we make today. The day will come, however, when it will be too late to choose, when our destiny will already be set. How it turns out depends on God’s mercy and on our willingness to show His mercy to others today.

 

It is important for us to keep in mind that, when we preach about the realities of our own death and the end of the world, it is not meant to fill our hearts with fear. It is not God’s desire for us to live in trepidation for the future. Rather we discuss these uncomfortable topics so that we may be converted and change the way we live while there is still time. We also reflect on these realities so that we can learn to trust God more. He has our life and destiny in His hands. If we love Him and listen to His word, we can be sure that He will guide us on the path to life.

 

Jesus speaks to this in today’s gospel. He tells his disciples who are marveling at the beauty of the temple in Jerusalem that a day will come when it will all be destroyed. This is a shock to them. The temple was a massive structure constructed of large stone blocks which took over forty years to build. It was a marvel of engineering and architecture. Moreover, it was the dwelling place of God on earth. It was unimaginable to the people of Jesus’ day that it could ever be destroyed. Though the disciples are alarmed, Jesus does not tell them this to frighten them. Even when He tells them that they will be hauled off and put to death, He wants them to know that they need not fear. He will always be with them. He wants them not to be afraid but to be aware. No matter what will happen, they can trust that He will provide for them. Nothing can happen to separate them from their Heavenly Father.

 

We are living in a time of large scale transition in our society and in our world. We cannot tell what will happen and can feel anxious for the future. The world as we know it is passing away. As Jesus said, there are many who claim to have the answer to society’s ills. But there is only One who can cure what is really disordered in the human heart. That is God Himself. He alone can burn away the sin which destroys our families and communities. No matter how well organized governments may be or how sound the economy, if we continue hating one another, lying and cheating each other, our society cannot enjoy peace. Only by humbling turning to God and submitting to His will can we ever find any real solutions to the problems plaguing our world. There is no other way than The Way, Jesus Christ.

 

And so, as we reflect on these sometimes disturbing realities, we need not be afraid. God will provide us with the strength we need to endure whatever trials may come. And He will provide us with the grace we need to live everyday of our lives in accordance with His word so that, when He does come again we will be ready to embrace Him and bend the knee before Him in reverence and awe rather than in shame and fear.

Drawing Back the Veil

It seems hard to believe that it is already over ten years ago that the world was caught up in worry over the "Y2K bug". The fear was that, once the year changed to 2000, the calendars that regulate computers would become confused. It was predicted that the computers controlling the nation's power grids and the world's financial institutions would go haywire and fail. Electricity would be cut off, financial records would be erased and communication networks would fail. Countless millions of dollars were spent to try to upgrade computers and circumvent the "bug". In the end, the year 2000 arrived like every other year, without incident. All the worry and fear were for nothing.

This year, we are beginning to hear predictions of calamity surrounding the end of the year 2012. It has something to do with the end of the calendar developed by the Mayan civilization that flourished in South America prior to the arrival of the Spanish and also something to do with predictions made by the French astrologer, Nostradamus. There will be countless television programs about how reliable these predictions are, even though so many of them have failed in the past. And if, God willing, this year comes and goes without incident, there will no doubt be another date in the future for which there will be even more predictions of the end of the world.

All these fears are fed by a sense that we are living in a time of rapid change, and not all of it is for the better. Whether it is the economy, the climate or society in general, things are not as they were in the past. There is great unease in not knowing what lies in the future. Our world feels unbalanced and unstable. It is natural to feel that it is all building up to an unhappy ending.

Both the Old and New Testaments speak frequently about the end of the world and the coming judgment of God. The first reading from the book of Daniel is one example, as is the gospel reading. We call this type of literature in the Bible "apocalyptic" writing. The premiere example of it is the book of Revelations which is also sometimes called the "Apocalypse". Though in our popular culture the word "apocalypse" tends to mean a "catastrophe", the original Greek word literally means "drawing back the veil". When the apocalypse happens, as the Bible teaches us it will, the veil which separates heaven and earth will be opened like a stage curtain. God will be revealed in all his majesty and glory along with Christ so that there will be no doubt that he exists and that his word is true. At the same time, the curtain will be drawn back on us as well. The intentions of our hearts, the good or evil of our actions and our innermost thoughts will be revealed as we stand before the throne of our God.

When the authors of Scripture, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote about the end of the world, they intended neither to scare us nor make exact predictions about when the end of the world would occur. In fact, Jesus tells us that even he does not know when these events would take place. Rather this type of literature appears in the Bible during times of intense persecution to encourage believers to not abandon their faith but to remain faithful and persevere. For example, the book of Daniel from which today's first readings are taken was written at a time when Jews living outside of Jerusalem were being forced to give up their beliefs and traditions. The gospel of Mark as well as the book of Revelations were likewise written at a time when Christians were being fiercely persecuted both in Jerusalem and in Rome. They wanted believers to know and understand that God will appear to judge harshly those who have made his beloved people suffer and that, if they remain faithful to him, they will share in his victory.

In today's world, we are fortunate to have the freedom to worship God and live our faith. But that does not mean that we are not persecuted. We only have to watch television for five minutes or read the front page of the newspaper to see our beliefs and way of life being ridiculed. The message is constantly going out that Christianity is backwards and meaningless in today's world. That along with the upheaval in our society and the allure of material things may cause us to question our faith and make us wonder if the sacrifices our baptismal vows require of us are really worth it. It is at those times that we must remember Jesus' words, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away." Governments come and go. Fashions and popular trends come and go. But we are guided by the light of God's word, and we press on with our eyes focused on Christ and his promise of eternal life. When we do so, we can be assured that we will not stumble and fall for Jesus promises us that those who believe in him will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.

Jesus certainly does teach us that the world will eventually come to an end, and there will be much turbulence and tribulation leading up to it. It sounds terrifying. But, for the believer, the end of the world will be glorious. Jesus will reveal himself to all peoples as the Son of God and Savior of the World. As the second reading from the letter to the Hebrews reminds us, all God's enemies will be placed under his feet. This includes especially sin and death which will have no more power over us. Though we will be judged for the good and evil we have done, we must remember that it is the Father who offered his Son to death for our salvation who will be weighing us in the scales. If we have made a sincere effort to cooperate with his grace and live according to his word, we can be assured that he will look upon us with mercy for he knows our hearts. Our struggle against sin, the sacrifices we have made and the ridicule we have endured will seem nothing when we look upon the face of God and know that we will spend eternity with him.