In the Gospel it is written: 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.
We do not know the day we will see Christ coming in the clouds. 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 everlasting disgrace that Daniel prophesied. The gates will be locked and we will not be able to enter.
When we hear about the end of the world and the second coming, some may feel fear, others excitement, but many feel uncertainty. How could we not feel these things? It is 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 bring us home.
Although we have no idea when that day will be, human nature lets us believe we have more time than we do. In addition, 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.
A bulwark against getting distracted by the desires of this life, to the detriment of planning for the next, is the sacramental life of the Church. Through God’s word and the Eucharist 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. To that end, we see our lives here as a gift.
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 us.
Daniel prophesied 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 with him in the kingdom.
The wise are those who live continually preparing for the Lord’s coming. They are spreading God’s Good News, living the Gospel, and acting with charity, humility, and love. They are preparing with the goal of eternal salvation in mind. They 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 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 knowledge that salvation is near.
(Fr. Michał Pająk, OMI, Nov. 17, 2024)
