Although this is not the last Sunday of the liturgical year, which is Christ the King next Sunday, the scripture passages today give a very descriptive picture of the end times, when this world will cease to exist and good will prevail over evil. This is known as the apocalypse.
The events that will usher in and will take place during this time are apocalyptic in nature. This view claims, that regardless of the scope and intensity of the devastation that will take place during the last days, good will ultimately triumph. For this reason, believers are compelled to trust in God.
In the last days Michael, the angelic warrior of God, will rise up and Christ is pictured seated triumphantly at the right hand of God with his enemies under his feet, a sign of conquest. And finally, the Son of Man, the mysterious figure from apocalyptic literature, comes in the clouds with great power and glory. All of these images are apocalyptic, and each of them brings hope.
I loom back at what brings me hope and instantly I remember the times that I strolled in my back yard at night, whether winter, spring, summer, or fall, looking upward and feeling nothing but awe at what God has created for us., the moon , the stars.
I remember walking with my wife, down at the Palisades retreat center in Federal Way, on a clear sunny day, feeling the warmth of the suns rays on my cheeks, looking at the brightness of my wife’ eyes in the sunlight and the beauty of Puget Sound as the backdrop: Again looking at God’s Majestic creations, the sun, Puget Sound and especially my wife.
It is hard not to imagine this land centuries ago, even if just for moment, until through the trees you see that 4 lane hwy and a land with many buildings and artificial lights, a reminder of the development that took over the land. And still there, hanging over our heads, over it all, the sun, the moon, the stars.
The grasses had grown, died, regenerated. The leaves on the trees had changed with each passing year. Things grew and died, came and went, were torn down and built up, but the same old sun, moon and stars never changing, always hanging over the happenings of this earth. Can you imagine this earth when it was covered with water, when it was filled with plenty of non-extinct creatures, when humanity was mostly located on the other side of the planet—
Watching when the first explorers encountered the natives who lived there; there in the sky, silent witness to the relentless growth which now illuminated a land, a land lit-up with artificial lights which once had only the moon and stars at night to show its inhabitants the way. God’s majesty in creation. WOW!
In today’s gospel, Jesus says: “in those days after that tribulation the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky, and then powers in heaven will be shaken.”
If, in the end, the sun and the moon and stars, which have been there over our world since the very beginning, will not be in the new life to come, can we imagine that the things which we have created- the cars, the tv’s, the mansions, the monetary wealth, the play-stations, our beloved dell and apple computers, will be of any great importance, will be important at all?
All these things in the physical realm will have outlived their usefulness, and so they shall not be, any more. And for those who invested all their happiness in these things, their will be no future happiness and for those who have placed all their hopes and dreams in the things of this world, there will be no hope.
Jesus says for us to learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. The lesson of the fig tree is that these things of which Jesus speaks of are near, not that the sun, the moon will be darkened and the stars will fall from the sky tomorrow, next month, or even next year, we know not when, but their uselessness is on the way.
This uselessness is near because Jesus has come, and he has put into motion his plan for our salvation and his works have already started. What he speaks of is in motion. His plan for us will come to fruition, whether we are prepared for their culmination, or not.
We must put the last things first in our lives and not make this worlds stuff more important than the journey to heaven and He gives us his body and blood in the Eucharist to give us the nourishment that gives us the strength to do so.
The end of the world is a terrifying thought for many people and is terrifying for a couple of reasons: Most of us do have a fear of the unknown, even if the unknown is something which looks to be better.
We like to know what’s coming upon us. But there’s also a fear that we’re not quite ready for Jesus’ return, that we would do things differently if either the sun suddenly blew out or the stars started falling from the sky.
The prophet Daniel wrote: 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.”
In the end, we will have much to rejoice in if we are wise now and use this time on earth to show God how deep is our desire for heaven. God’s heavenly Kingdom! Can we even imagine how wow it will be?