Dear Parish Family,
The first reading and the Gospel today show us clearly that we are coming to the end of the Church year and beginning to meditate once again on the end of the world as we know it. It is interesting that when we speak of the “end of the world,” that phrase can have two meanings. It can mean “the end” like “the end” of a movie or it can mean “the end” meaning the purpose for which the world was made. In some strange way, today in these readings we can understand both of these meanings.
The world as we know it will come to an end someday. Even scientifically this is true, although it could be millions of years in the future. Of course, if we humans continue on our roads of self-destruction and development of weapons of mass destruction, the world as we know it might end earlier. It is true that we simply don’t know when or how the world will end. But we do know for what end (purpose) it was created: to give glory to God. These days at the end of Ordinary Time keep our hearts and minds focused on these great realities: that the world will end and that the end for which it was created will be accomplished.
The depiction of the end described in the readings can sound scary, but they are an invitation to put our faith in the One who is all powerful and we can trust Him to triumph. The purpose of these passages is not to threaten the people more, but to offer hope drawing their attention to the action of God even beyond the present history. Apocalyptic literature, the veiled style of writing using many images, would always talk about ‘new heaven and new earth’ and the triumph of good over evil. It is so important not to lose this point. This type of writing flourished during very difficult and challenging times for the believers. And here is where we need to be wary of some of the modern preachers, who stand at our street corners and preach with pointing fingers about ‘the end of the world’ with fire and fury.
At a very practical level, today’s readings invite us to meditate on the end of the world and on our own death. This is not some meditation that is supposed to make us sad or frightened or upset, but as a means of reminding us that everything in this world comes to an end. We will die. Perhaps we will die older than the previous generation, perhaps we can find ways to prolong life for many more years. But up until today, every human dies. So we must learn to look death in the eye, to think about death and what it means. So these last Sundays of Ordinary Time and the first Sundays of Advent are a time for us to think deeply, to feel the presence of God, to reflect on how we are living and to ask God to give us the strength to live faithfully with Him no matter what happens. It is truly a matter of believing in Jesus as the Savior and our companion of our life’s journey.
Fr. Tom Kunnel. C.O.