33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, B November 17, 2024
Fr. Alexander Albert St. Mary Magdalen, Abbeville
Repent! The end is near! No, really it’s true. I mean, it’s been true since Jesus ascended into heaven, but you really do need to repent nonetheless. Jesus could come back at any moment. Our own deaths could happen at any moment. So, we should be ready now. And if we are not, then we need to start getting ready now.
We are two weeks away from Advent, which is the beginning of our liturgical year. So, on the Church’s calendar we are at the end of the year. That’s why our readings have been building up this theme of the end of the world. When Advent comes, we’ll continue with that theme for a couple of weeks before shifting more directly into the celebration of Jesus’ birth. I get that most people love Christmas and a lot of people are ready to celebrate now, but we really need to take Advent seriously first. Our souls could depend on it.
What do I mean? Only what scripture tells us: “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake; some shall live forever, others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace.” Yes, eternal life is real and it’s coming soon, just like Christmas is real and it’s coming soon. But so is judgment and “everlasting horror.”
Which one will you receive? That depends on what you do with the time you have left. To receive eternal life, the first thing we should do is take this warning seriously. The devil and the world always do things out of order. They want to feast and celebrate right now and deal with consequences later. Christ and his Church, however, have always fasted first, prepared first, and then feasted. When faced with temptation, the devil and the world tell us “it’s no big deal, no one will notice, it won’t hurt, you can just say sorry.” After we sin, however, they tell us “how shameful, you’re a monster, no one will forgive you.” Christ and His Church, however, tell us when we’re tempted to remember judgment, they remind us how serious sin is, that it will hurt, that it could cost us everything. After sin, Christ and the Church remind us of God’s mercy and that hope is not lost, that we can still repent.
Take judgment seriously. Do things in the right order. Do not presume you’ll always have more time. There are a lot of people who think that, before the end of the world, we’ll get some clear warning and one last chance to get right. There is no such thing as the rapture! That’s a made up teaching someone invented in the 1800s and it does not actually fit what the bible says. Not even protestants believed that until the 1900s and lots of them are starting to realize it’s not actually biblical. And if you’ve ever heard of the “Three Days of Darkness” that some Catholics talk about online, that’s not true either! There’s no evidence that any credible saint, mystic, or Church authority has ever taught that.
Theories about the end of the world are a dime a dozen. The bottom line is this: don’t waste your time with wild theories. Jesus says again and again and again that no one knows when, that it will be sudden, and that we should always be ready. Yes, Jesus talks about dramatic signs like earthquakes and wars and eclipses, but when have those things not happened? The most specific prophecy Jesus gave about the end of the world was that Jerusalem and the Temple would be destroyed. That already happened. It happened one thousand nine hundred fifty-four years ago, in the year 70 A.D.
If you’re waiting for some extra clear sign from heaven or some decree from the Pope that the final end is about to happen, you probably won’t get it. This is your warning. Right now is your chance. Take it. Go to confession. If you need an annulment, start now. If your job or friends or circumstances keep you tied up in sin, get out. Come talk to me or to Fr. Nick about what you can do. And don’t just do it out of fear! It’s not just that I don’t want you to go to hell – and I really don’t! – it’s that getting right with God now can make life a whole lot better. You’ll still suffer – we all will in this life – but if you’re doing it with God, it makes all the difference.
Besides, the point of Catholicism… the point of Christianity isn’t just to barely escape hell. It is to flourish. Jesus promises rewards and joy even in this life. Even better, the eternal life Jesus promises starts now. While it will be imperfect on earth, our heavenly glory – if we cooperate – can begin to take root now.
Even if you’re not particularly worried about hell and your life is basically in line with God’s will, there’s reason to go deeper. The final judgment isn’t as simple as “you go to hell, you go to heaven” and then everyone in heaven is exactly the same and everyone in hell is exactly the same. Our heavenly glory will be an extension of the good we do on earth, of the love we learn to live on earth. Even our first reading shows this. Listen again: “some shall live forever, others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace. ‘But 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.’” Some live forever, yes. But the wise “shine brightly.” Holy leaders “shall be like the stars.” Heaven is diverse. It is layered. It is expansive. Everyone in heaven shall be fully happy and shall live forever. Above and beyond that, however, your heavenly glory will be related to how you lived. So aim higher!
How? Love, obviously. The better you are at loving – at willing the good of the other – the greater your glory in heaven. And love takes many forms. Strive for wisdom, that you might shine in heaven. Strive to bring others to heaven with you, so you’ll be like a star.
Here’s a practical suggestion: make good use of Advent. Instead of skipping straight to Christmas, treat Advent a little bit like Lent. Study the church’s teaching on the end of the world and heaven so you know what you’re working for. Make some sacrifices, get to confession, take the extra step you’ve been procrastinating but know you need to do in order to overcome that sinful habit, look for chances to do extra charity.
The words of Jesus Christ will outlast heaven and earth. How fortunate are we, then, that we have those words before us today. Trust in them, put them into practice, and then you too will survive the end of the world.