When Eternity Begins

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Nov. 14, 2010 (Lk 21:5-19)

While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, he said, "All that you see here - the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down."

Then they asked him, "Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?"

He answered, "See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,' and 'The time has come.' Do not follow them!

When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end."

Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.

Before all this happens, however, they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name.

It will lead to your giving testimony. Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.

You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives.

There is much fuss over end-of-the-world claims of many people, either based on religion or on science. Some try their best to explain to all how the world will end and why they say it's about to end soon. They present signs, scientific data, historical facts and biblical references to support their claims. But a few people talk about how we need to prepare for the end of the world. Fact is, the world will end. It doesn't matter when. The fact that it will end should make us reflect. How does this fact affect our lives? Since we can't stop it, what do we do about it?

After speaking about the terrifying events that will take place before the end of the world, Jesus instructs us, His disciples, to be calm. He tells us not to fear tribulations. As Christians, we will be hated by the world, as our Master was. But we need not fear, for Jesus has conquered the world. Whatever problems we encounter becomes easy if we remain in Christ, for He never abandons His flock. We should not fear the wars and all the other disasters of this world.

Being faithful to Jesus' teachings and obeying the commandments, there is no need to fear even the end of the world. Our faith assures us that no matter who or what can kill us in this world, they can no longer hurt us when we are reunited with God in eternal life. If we truly believe in God and in His mercy, we can courageously face anything this world scares us with.

Jesus reminds us that we must not prepare what to say in tribunals beforehand. He Himself will speak through us. We must not fret too much about the end times. It is enough that we have Jesus. He is our salvation, our true judge. His wisdom will shame this world, and He will inspire us with this wisdom.

For us Catholics, the end of the world is not something to fear and to be nervous about. It is a reminder for us that this is not our home. This world will end and our real home awaits us. God has prepared the real dwelling of His faithful ones in eternal life with Him. So we must not fear, for, as Jesus said, not a hair on our head will be destroyed.

Ready to Be Born in Heaven?

Commemoration of All Faithful Departed Nov. 2, 2008 (Mt 25:31-46)

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

(Jn 14:1-6)

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going."
Jesus the Way to the Father

Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Our first Gospel reading is a prophetic story of what will happen when the world ends. This passage is known as the Last Judgment. In this Gospel, we see Jesus receiving into Paradise all those who have lived a life of love for God and for others while casting into the fire those who refused to love God and to love others.

The second Gospel reading presents Jesus encouraging His apostles to be courageous in their mission, for a reward is waiting for them in heaven. Jesus promises them a place in heaven and that He Himself will take them with Him.

These readings are just two that I have chosen to reflect on from a roster of twelve Gospel readings. These twelve are the Gospel readings which may be used for the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, which happens to fall on a Sunday this year.

The two readings can be connected with each other. Both maybe used to reflect on what happens after our life on earth. We all know that our immortal soul separates from the body in death. In the Prayer of Saint Francis, we poeticize this by saying, “It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.” The eternity of our soul’s life has been the theme of some of my past reflections here. Death is something we will all experience so we have to prepare for it. This is because, after our death, we will be judged by God, as we see in the first Gospel.

The second Gospel reading is a consolation for those who mourn the death of their loved ones and, at the same time, also for all of us who face the inevitable reality of death. Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” (Jn 14:1). Through His words, Jesus inspires us not to be afraid of doing good, even if it would mean pain or death for us. He tells us to believe in God and in Him. This faith, as we all know, is the requirement for us to enter the Kingdom of Heaven and be saved. We should not be afraid of anything as long as we live in righteousness and in faith. Knowing that our eternal life with God is secured should be enough for us not to worry about anything else, not even pain or death. This is what we mean by martyrdom or even holiness and saintliness. If we die unafraid because of doing the will of God, then we should rejoice, for our reward is a dwelling place in heaven.

We shouldn’t fear death because it’s an entrance to eternal life. We all have immortal souls, but that doesn’t mean we will all go to heaven and be with God. For all we know, we might be spending eternity in the fiery pit, suffering because of the longing for God.

So how do we avoid hell and achieve salvation or heaven? Well, we could not really achieve that salvation; it is a gift from God, an inheritance from our Father. Nevertheless, we have the responsibility to remain faithful children of God and worthy heirs by our faith and the good deeds which are the fruits of our faith, for what kind of father would give an inheritance to a disobedient son who doesn’t repent? He would surely disown him. In the same way, for us to receive the inheritance promised by Jesus, we must remain true children of God, our Father. Jesus, being the epitome of obedience, is therefore “the way, the truth and the life.” (Jn 14:6). It is in being like Jesus that we secure eternal life with God. It is only through Him that we can come to the Father. The first Gospel reading supports this truth by showing that Jesus shall judge us according to our acts of love for God and for neighbor.

Death is inevitable. Nevertheless, it is not something to be afraid of. It is our birth into eternal life. (That’s why we celebrate a saint’s feast day on the day of his death.) If we prepare for our entrance in college, if we prepare for our flight to other countries, so much more do we have to prepare for our death by living a life of love, a life like that of Christ. A friend of mine once asked me, “Why do we all have to die?” I said, “Do you not pass a project?” Our life is a project and death is our deadline. The sure way to get a 100 in this project is Christ, the way, the truth and the life.

Let us ask ourselves, how often do we reflect on the reality of death? Are we ready to die? If we are not ready to die, what are our reasons? Is it because we haven’t enjoyed life on earth yet? Or is it for the greater reason that we are not yet ready to be judged by God because we haven’t loved Him and others enough?