“And then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in the clouds’ with great power and glory, and then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky.” Most of us are so busy with our everyday lives that we don’t give ourselves much – if any – time to reflect on the end of our lives and the end of time. And yet, we all know that we will die. As a friend of mine once remarked: “Life is dangerous. It can kill you.” As we approach the end of yet another liturgical year, we are given a moment to reflect on this very important aspect of our lives, that is, its end here on earth. We do not know the day we will see Christ coming in the clouds. But, we do know that, if we are not ready for his coming, we will not be part of the gathered elect, but rather part of those who live in the everlasting disgrace that we hear Daniel prophesy in today’s first reading. I know that there are some who don’t believe in Hell but I’m not prepared to take a chance that God isn’t serious when he says there is.
When we hear about the end of the world and the second coming, we can experience a wide variety of feelings. Some may feel fear, others excitement, but many feel uncertainty. It’s understandable to have these feelings. After all, we’re dealing with the great unknown. Some of what we think and feel about the end of days arises from taking Jesus’ words to heart. We know we need to be prepared for the Lord to lead from this life to the next.
Although we have no idea when that day will be, it’s so easy to believe that we have more time than we do. And, of course, we have things to plan for here! Graduations, moves, weddings, births, jobs, retirement. After all, we live in this world, with all its necessities and demands. But, once again, as we approach the end of another liturgical year, let’s spend a moment consider how best to prepare for the end of our lives here on earth. A good way to avoid getting distracted by the desires of this life, to the detriment of planning for the next, is the sacramental life of the Church. That’s why it’s so good that we’re here. Through God’s word and the reception of our Lord in Holy Communion we participate in the communal life of faith, and so come to know, understand, and appreciate the end for which we were actually created: eternal life with God. Through the sacrament of reconciliation, we are given that sacred opportunity to be reconciled to God and those we have offended. I’m so glad to experience an increase in the number of people who come to confession on Saturdays or call the rectory to set up a time to celebrate the sacrament at a time more convenient for them. Please know that Fr. Kien and I will make ourselves available whenever we can. Through these powerful sacraments, we have the opportunity to prepare, and to receive the grace to do so. Will we do it perfectly? Unlikely. Will we do it well? With God’s help. Will we do it all? That, in the end, is up to each of us.
We hear Daniel prophesy in today’s first reading that “the wise shall shine brightly like the splendor of the firmament, and those who lead the many to justice shall be like the stars forever.” In other words, those living the way of the Lord and for the Lord will live eternally in glory and endless joy with God in his kingdom.
The wise are those of us who live continually preparing for the Lord’s coming. We are the ones spreading God’s Good News, living the Gospel, and acting with charity, humility, mercy and love. We are preparing with the goal of eternal salvation on our minds. We are at the ready knowing that God could return any day at any moment. If we are always ready, we will have nothing to fear and no need for uncertainty.
We know that the end is coming – that Christ will return. While we do not know when, we do not want to be caught with our lights out and doors locked when he does come back. We want our doors wide open for him and our lights burning bright with the assurance that our salvation is near.
One day, our lives in this world will end. One day, the world will end. One day, the evil that we all confront in our lives will be finally and fully overcome and the Eternal Good will prevail. One day, this, our journey of life, will make perfect sense and we – the wise – will shine brightly and be like the stars forever.
As we approach the end of this liturgical year and prepare to celebrate next week the Solemnity of our Lord, Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, we are reminded that everything we experience on earth – good and bad – is transitory. We are challenged to recognize, once again, that our hearts must be set on the only reality that will last – the Kingdom of God. And, as Jesus reminds us, even the Son of Man does not know when this will happen, but he does stress one very essential point: heaven and earth will pass away, but his words will never pass. Let us listen carefully to his words and follow him, the Way, the Truth and the Life. Everything else will fail; only those who follow him – those whose names are written in the book, as we hear in today’s first reading and we see depicted on the stained glass window in the back of church – will endure and, in the end, will reach the end of our journey in God’s everlasting Kingdom.