My dear parishioners:

Jesus is giving us a discourse on the Mount of Olives; in it He spoke about the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD and the Second Coming.  During this season in which the leaves are falling, the weather is changing, winter is on the horizon, and we are apporaching the end of the year, the Church invites us to think about the end of our lives.

Let me just say it right off the bat: It is always good for the soul to think about the Four Last Things: death, judgment, heaven, and hell.  For now , I would like to focus on death.  When we do think about the end of our own lives, the first thing to do as a faithful Catholic is: we should not fear the future!  It is a future in the hands of a loving God, and it is Jesus who is coming.  We might fear a stranger, but our Blessed Lord is no stranger.  We know Him, we have heard from Him, He has already died to save us.  And He has shown us His face throughout our lives!  Death means our Blessed Lord is coming to bring us home.   The Lord may take His time in returning to the world for the final judgment, but our own coming before Him is certain.  Being ready for that moment is truly the purpose of this life.  Ultimately, with God’s grace, we face our mortality with trust and hope and confidence.  While we await the return of Jesus, we make sure to use the time we do have to work for God’s Kingdom profitably.  Thus, the best way to understand death is to remember that Christ is at the center of all.  As the Logos of God, everything that happens to us after death is related to Christ.  

I keep going back to the words of Pope John Paul II of blessed memory: “Do not be afraid!  Open wide your hearts to Christ!”  As we think about death, our faith teaches us that it is actually the most beautiful moment as we leave our body and Christ encounters us.  The judgment that follows immediately is also something to look forward to for those who have lived their lives faithfully, for it is the moment that Christ judges us.  And purgatory is the place where holy souls go, where the fire of the Spirit of Christ purifies us.  And lastly heaven, the culmination of the human creature made in the likeness and image of God: at that moment Christ embraces us!

When we keep Christ at the center, all the aforementioned events seem less frightening, less impersonal, and less strange.  As Christ is the one who meets us at the threshold of eternal life, let us recognize that we already have met him in the Scriptures, in the Eucharist, and in the Church.  We know Him, He is a friend, a beloved Savior, and a merciful Lord.  

Let us today go back over the year that is coming to a close and seeks to find the hand of God.  To do so, find a quiet place to be with God.  Start in silence and then give thanks to God.  Here are four questions you could ask (questions which come from a great theologian): What are the most important events that have happened to me or in me this past year?  What has been my greatest struggle in my life this past year? Where have I most experienced the presence of God this past year and why?  What one word can sum up this past year?  Then look toward the future and make a personal resolution for this coming year.
Padre