Jesus said to his disciples: "During that period after trials of every sort the sun will be darkened, the moon will not shed its light, stars will fall out of the skies, and the heavenly hosts will be shaken. Then men will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. He will dispatch his messengers and assemble his chosen from the four winds, from the farthest bounds of earth and sky. Learn a lesson from the fig tree. Once the sap of its branches runs high and it begins to sprout leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things happening, you will know that he is near, even at the door. I assure you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. The heavens and the earth will pass away, but my words will not.  "As to the exact day or hour, no one knows it, neither the angels in heaven nor even the Son, but only the Father."

Text from Lectionary for Mass
© 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine
© 1969 International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc.
All rights reserved

My Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

We are coming to the end of the Ordinary Time of the Church Year.  Advent will soon begin.  When we hear readings about the "final times," we realize that we will soon begin to celebrate the coming of Christ once again. 

Today and then at the Solemnity of Christ the Kind and also in the First Sunday of Advent, we think about Christ returning at the end of time.  Probably we don't spend much time meditating on this mystery, even though it is part of our Catholic faith.

When will the end of time come about?  Jesus is very clear about the answer to this question in today's Gospel:  "As to the exact day or hour, no one knows it, neither the angels in heaven nor even the Son, but only the Father."  This response to the question should help all of us be cautious when others tell us that we will see the end of the world in our own lifetime.  How many people were convinced that the world was going to end at the beginning of this year!  Some are convinced that it will end during this year or at the end of this year.  If we follow Jesus, we should know from His own words "only the Father knows."

On the other hand, we all know that each of us will die some day.  We do not know the day or the hour of our death, but we do know that it is inevitable.  Science is always trying to find a way to keep us living longer and there is something good and healthy in that quest.  We must ask ourselves, however, about the purpose of living.  If we only want to live because we are frightened of death, then we are invited to deepen our faith.  If we want to live longer because we really doubt that there is a life beyond this one, then we are invited to reflect again on our Christian beliefs about the world to come.

For a believing Christian, we know that death will bring us to a personal and eternal encounter with the living God in Jesus Christ and in His Holy Spirit.  Our faith tells us to have no fear even while we recognize that we are still sinners.  It will not be our "perfect lives" that bring us salvation, but rather our faith in Jesus Christ and in the love and mercy of God. 

For our spirituality today, we are invited to think about what we believe.  Do we believe in the life of the world to come?  What do we think about "judgment" at the end of our lives and at the end of the world?  What kind of a God do we believe in? 

For some, today's reading seem to indicate that we should be frightened of God.  Jesus never seems to want us to be afraid of God.  Jesus does want us to try to lead good and holy lives.  Let us ask for the gift of holiness today and place all our hope in God.