We are approaching the end of the liturgical year, on the feast of Christ the King next Sunday. The readings for mass this Sunday focuses on the end times that will occur before Jesus returns to the earth and the world comes to an end. Advent will begin the first Sunday in December.
However, in today’s readings for mass, we are instructed on how we should spend the time. Unfortunately the first reading from the book of Malachi shows what will happen to people who are proud and those who commit all kinds of evil. Many people do not believe in the existence of hell, but Jesus spoke of hell just as much, if not more than he spoke of heaven. Both the old testament and the new testament clearly teach of the existence of hell, just as the catechism of the Catholic church does. If hell did not exist, there would be no justice. The first reading today explains God’s justice. He is both just and merciful though, and those who love him will have nothing to fear. This reading tells us that “there will arise the sun of justice with it’s healing rays.”
A little background on the second reading for mass from the letter of Saint Paul to the Thessalonians is that many people in his time thought that the end of the world was coming any day now. They quit working and started waiting for the end of the world to come. We’ve had cults in modern times that did the same thing. But, Saint Paul set the example by working and continuing to live normally because it was not time for the end of the world yet. Until it actually came, the people needed to live normally. We shouldn’t be too hard on the people in this reading, because if you thought you only had a week or two to live you would probably want to spend every moment with your family. However, they were misguided.
This reading from Saint Paul to the Thessalonians has some good points though. In America we provide a great deal of charity to the poor, which is what Christ said to do, but the poor can also con people out of their money so they don’t have to work too. Many beggars in our country use the money they get from people, to buy drugs, cigarettes and alcohol and sell their food stamps for these things as well. Saint Paul seems to understand this attitude in today’s reading. The poor, in fact everyone that is physically able to do so, should work and support themselves, whether that is inside or outside of the home.
Jesus tries to explain the kind of things that will happen when it is close to the time of the end of the world. Every generation thinks it could happen in their generation, but no one knows when Christ will return. One thing you can be sure of is what Christ said about being called before kings and governors because of his name. That’s already happening to the Catholic church in America, over the new laws that take our religious freedom away, forcing the Catholic church to do things that are against our religious beliefs.
Another thing that has already happened is found in the next verse of this gospel, that is not included in today’s reading for mass. “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, know that it’s desolation is at hand…for these days are the time of punishment when all the scriptures are fulfilled. After that there will be signs in the sun, moon, stars and the roaring of the sea, before Christ’s coming.
Jesus says to stand erect though, for your redemption is at hand. It is the same in the last sentence of the gospel today too. “By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”
Let us pray that we, or our descendants, will be prepared for Christ’s coming. If we care about our family and friends who have fallen away from practicing our faith, we should take seriously today’s scriptures and persevere in praying for them, and like Saint Paul, set a good example for them by how we live our own lives. We do not want to lose a single one of them and neither does the Lord Jesus.
