As the liturgical year of the Church gradually comes to an end, it is very apt and timely to reflect strongly on the themes of the last days and judgement. Today’s celebration invites us on the last things and to dwell on the mystery of the end of time. As Catholics and as Christians, we intentionally profess in our Creed that Christ will come again to judge the living and the dead. Likewise in the Second Vatican Council’s “Dogmatic Constitution on the Church” which states that, “Already the final age of the world is with us and the renewal of the world is irrevocably under way; it is even now anticipated in a certain real way, for the Church on earth is endowed already with a sanctity that is real though imperfect” (No. 48).
To try to grasp the when, what and how of this Second Coming and last judgment, we really need to hold strongly to the readings of today’s liturgy and see God’s decisive intervention. In the book of Daniel, Scripture says “many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” This words makes us remember one of the moral songs students render to guide their life-steps which goes thus: if you do good, kingdom ooh ooh ooh ooh kingdom ooh ooh ooh ooh kingdom waiting for you; if you do bad, no more kingdom ooh ooh ooh ooh no more kingdom ooh ooh ooh ooh no more kingdom waiting for you.
This gives us the wisdom that on the last day our judgement into the Kingdom of God or out of the Kingdom is based on our Character, deeds, dispositions and responsibility towards the will of God. If we do that which pleases the Lord God we are more opportune in His grace to share in the everlasting life but when anyone negates the will of God he or she is only trying to enter the path of shame and everlasting contempt. So today’s liturgy gives us the knowledge to understand the things that are to come and to choose wisely on what to do in order to win God’s promise of His Kingdom.
In the encyclical letter of St Pope John Paul II titled Redemptoris missio (on the permanent validity of the Church’s missionary mandate), he stated that “The kingdom of God is the concern of everyone: individuals, society, and the world. Working for the kingdom means acknowledging and promoting God’s activity, which is present in human history and transforms it. Building the kingdom means working for liberation from evil in all its forms. In a word, the kingdom of God is the manifestation and the realization of God’s plan of salvation in all its fullness.”
The pertinent question we should ask ourselves is, are we truly and fully disposed to the saving plans of God? My dear people of God, today’s Gospel speaks of the second coming of Christ with apocalyptic images and frightening events that will come afterwards. Jesus said that “ in those days, after the tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory”. We do not know when the Second Coming will occur.
Hence, Jesus said, “As to the exact day or hour, no one knows it, neither the angels in heaven nor even the Son, but only the Father. Be constantly on the watch! Stay awake! You do not know when the appointed time will come” (Mk 13:32-33). In a clearer sense, the expression “the Second Coming”, refers to the Christian belief in the words of Jesus that He will come again in glory to judge all men. The ‘Parousia’ (the second coming of Christ) will signal the end of human history as we know it. When this will take place no one knows but the Father (Acts 1:11), nor is there any clear indication in Scripture of just how it will be accomplished. When Jesus comes again in glory, human history will be terminated. All will be transformed, both the living and the dead (see 1 Cor 15:51-56).
Thus, everything now is provisional. This is to be understood as a hope and an expectation that the Lord would soon come and establish his definitive kingdom by destroying all of the powers of sin and evil. However, we as Christians are called to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ, to practice holiness and do good to others wherever and whenever we can. Dear Friends in Christ, as the civil year and the liturgical year slowly comes to an end, it will not be out of place to use faith-nurturing rhetorical questions to align to the right track of following God’s perfect will for mankind. what does it mean to live as a true Christian? How can we as Christians find peace and joy in our daily activities as we journey towards God’s kingdom? How can we embody the love of Christ? Am I a slave to sin and death or in freedom of God’s grace of love and mercy?
St. Francis de Sales wrote that “The past must be abandoned to God’s mercy, the present to our faithfulness, the future to divine providence.” While St. Charles de Foucauld stated that “We are pilgrims and strangers on earth. Pilgrims sleep in tents and sometimes cross deserts, but the thought of their homeland makes them forget everything else.” Indeed, we have a home and the thoughts of knowing God, loving God and serving God should consume our actions and be the ticket unto reaching everlasting life as we hopefully wait on the second coming of Christ.
