ONCE an overzealous preacher was out in the street, hollering: “Katapusan na, katapusan na!” (Now is the end!). Whereupon , a guy approached him, saying, “Reverend, hindi pa katapusan…Aquinse pa lang ngayon!” (It’s only the 15th of the month).
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Then there was a young lector at Mass who was reading the Scriptures for the first time before a large congregation in church. Visibly nervous, he blurted out as he concluded: “This…this is the end of the world” And the congregation chorused: “Thanks be to God”!
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We have reached the end of the Church calendar. As we do so, we reflect on the end of the world.
Not a few have been asking me, “Father, is the world about to end?” “And why should the end be near?” I replied. “Because the Bible says, ‘There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, plagues from place to place.’ Aren’t these happening now in our country and in the world?”
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During Christ’s time, people were gravely perturbed and asked the same question. But Christ tells us not to be frightened “for this is something that must happen but the end is not so soon” (cf. Lk 21, 9).
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Similarly, a number of the early Christians were keenly anxious about the end of the world and Christ’s second coming, so they concluded that it was useless to work. That’s why St. Paul reprimanded them, saying: “Anyone who does not work should not eat” (2 Thes 3, 10).
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St. Paul is saying that until Jesus does come to perfect the world, we must not sit around in idleness.
Moreover, let us not waste precious time speculating when the world will end. Jesus douses cold water on all predictions of the end, saying, “As for that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Mk 13,32).
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What matters is NOW. The questions we ought to ask ourselves are: Are we holding on to our faith or live as a Christian should? Are we faithful in our vocation as parents, religious men or women or as an honest worker or professional?
Instead of doing evil oppressing people, stealing, killing, unjustly treating them, are we rather doing good works to improve their lives?
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SOW GOOD DEEDS. If you read carefully the parable of the LAST JUDGMENT, you will notice that God’s reckoning will not depend on our intelligence, good looks, fame or fortune nor even our kilometric prayers. Of course, all of these are important but they are only insofar as they serve the needs of people, especially the less fortunate (Read Mt. 25, 31-46).
Let’s sow more good deeds then. What we sow now, we will reap later.
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Finally, although the gospel message this Sunday may sound terrifying with its apocalyptic images, it ends with a note of hope. “Your patient endurance will save you your lives,” the Lord assures us.
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THE LIGHTER SIDE. The Hyde Park Corner fiery preacher was getting worked up. “And on the Day of Judgment, my friends,” he shouted, “there will be weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth!”
A very old lady in the front of the crowd shouted out, “I’m all right then – I haven’t got any teeth!”
As the crowd started to laugh, the preacher was peeved and pointed a stern finger at the old lady and said, “Madam, that has been taken care of. Teeth will be provided!”
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FAMILY TV MASS – aired on IBC 13 (channel 15 cable) at 7-8 a.m. every Sunday and on international GMA Pinoy TV. Sponsor: CENTRO ESCOLAR UNIVERSITY, MAKATI CAMPUS. Priest presider: REV. FR. RINDO KARRIPAI, CM.
The FAMILY that prays together stays together.
