Fr. Kevin Boucher
When the world will end is a question which has eluded the Christian community since the time of Christ. Even though the gospel is very clear in stating that no one knows the time or the hour, many people still are preoccupied or at least curious as to when this will happen. The end of time is at the core of every joke we have ever heard about “St. Peter and the pearly gates.” The end of time is at the core of every doomsday cult that has ever existed, like the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas, and the Hale-Bopp cult of the 1990s. Remember the frenzy that came with Y2K? The end of time is a popular topic in many movies today. Over the next three years we will be hearing a lot about the world ending in December of 2012 based on the ancient Mayan Calendar and other ancient prophecies.
But when it comes to predictions about the end of the world two things are certain. First, Christ taught us that there will be an end of life as we know it at some unknown future time. Secondly, history has proven that every time someone has predicted the date of the end of the world, they have always been wrong. So, who are you going to listen to? People who are going to lead you astray, or Christ who has always spoken the truth.
While the end of time, or the end of our own life, can be a source of great humor and speculation, it oftentimes becomes a source of great worry and concern for many people. Doomsday cults publish supply lists and battle plans to prepare for the great tribulation. Fundamentalist preachers use the book of Revelation as a kind of “Owner’s Manual” trying to identify just who the seven-headed dragon symbolizes. Even in Catholic circles we find those who would put on the lips of our Blessed Mother, or even Jesus Christ himself, predictions of when and how the end time events will take place.
The first problem with all this emphasis on when and how the world will end is that a frenzied fear is created among people. When this happens we have missed the whole point of Jesus’ words; we miss the whole point of the apocalyptic literature like Daniel and Revelation. These words are given to us not instill fear in our hearts, but to give us a sense of hope. The hope is that when we see these things happening, we can expect the Lord to come and transform our broken, sin-filled world into the perfect kingdom of heaven for which we all believe. Therefore the end time readings are given to us not to scare us into walking the straight and narrow, but rather to give us hope in the promise of the perfect place that awaits all who believe.
Another problem with all the emphasis on end time signs like “the darkened sun and moon, the earthquakes and natural disasters,” is that we may miss the signs of our own end time. Most of us probably will not live to see the end of the world. Each one of us here will live to see our own end. So the question left before us is, “Are you ready?”
“Sooner or later we all come face to face with . . . an event or circumstance that tells us that our world, and life as we have known it, has come to an end. The ugly possibilities are endless; an irreversible illness, (the harsh reality that we are caught up in alcoholism or some other addiction), death of a spouse or child, rejection by our loved ones, abandonment by our friends, total loss of our (income), utter failure in our life’s work. That’s just the short list, but the list is endless and we’ve all had a taste of them. We all know what the gospel means when it talks about the sun being darkened and the stars falling out of the sky. We know!
So it’s of more than passing interest to discover how we are to survive, when inevitably, those moments do come. The gospel gives us the key: “When all these things happen you will see the Son of Man coming with great power and glory.” That means that when our personal world falls apart, and the bottom drops out of our lives, we’ll be able to see past the ugliness and see through the pain to the ultimate reality of things — which is: despite all appearances, God is still in charge, (God) still cares, (God) still has the power to make all things right, and still intends to do just that — in good time!”[1]
So how DO we prepare for the inevitable end time that we each will face? By our practice of faith. If we wait until the eleventh hour we will not be prepared and we most likely will not be ready to face whatever life gives us. If we live our faith, daily, then we build faith, one step at a time, which gives us the courage and faith to face our own end time.
In order to live our faith we need to celebrate the sacraments, we need to pray daily, we need to read and reflect on the scriptures, we need to live the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, we need to embrace the great command to love God and love neighbor as ourselves. But most of all we need to accept and believe that Christ is with us, always.
Christ is with us. This is what we pray and proclaim at the center of our eucharistic celebration, “Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.” And Jesus does come again and again. He comes and we hear his voice each time we hear the scriptures proclaimed. He comes and we eat his body and drink his blood during the memorial meal of the Holy Mass. He comes each time a person reaches out a hand to another in need. Christ is with us and will be with us until the end of time.
So when will the world come to an end? Every single day, for someone. Today just might be your last day. Cling to the hope that Christ is here for you, no matter what your trial or tribulation. Live each day as though it were your last, and you will be able to face the end time God has appointed for you.
[1] Celebration, November 16, 1997 Reprinted from Sunday Morning by Dennis R. Clark (Sheed & Ward, 1996)
Dear Fr. Kevin,
I am Rosemary’s daughter Jackie, from Texas. I just want to thank you for publishing your homilies on the Nativity Website.
I read them from Texas.
I will return to Fargo December 25-January 1. Looking forward to it.
Jackie (: