Which End and How Near?

03-06-2016Weekly ReflectionFr. Brian Jazdzewski

Sure, we are now working our way toward the conclusion of Lent. How are you doing on your Lenten commitments? There is still ample time to enhance your prayer, fasting and almsgiving in preparation for a good mindset for the celebration of Easter. As for your action during this Lent during the Year of Mercy. Have you made a good confession or preparing to find your way to the Sacrament of Penance soon? Further, there are a lot of other conclusions or ends to work toward. The end of winter or the end of a school year; and other more significant ends like the end of life or the end of time.

Regarding the title of this bulletin reflection, I'm referring to the end of time. Current events like the state of politics in the United States of America for starters. Perhaps the economic fears of another stock market plunge could be of concern. Then we could turn our attention to political unrest around the planet. Maybe it's the reality of global terrorism or even increased severity of natural disasters including extreme weather. People of faith, like us, may turn to more spiritual factors including the great falling away of Christ's faithful. Others suggest clues which indicate Pope Francis is the last pope in world history. Whatever your topic of choice, you may have any level of concern for the end of time.

To be sure, as a member of the faithful who cares enough to grow deeper in your faith practices daily, you ought to consider listening and obeying the words of Christ. Throughout Jesus' life, He continued to teach and preach about His second coming; no, we have not missed the event. Then, the evangelists like St. Paul in particular, remind us about preparing for His coming again. Whether it's the words of the evangelists or the words of Jesus Himself, the theme remains the same, be READY!

The readiness Jesus and others speak of is a readiness which is void of fear. Fear is the work of the enemy who desires to erode our trust in Jesus. Additionally, the message of the Gospel reminds us to keep our focus on Jesus and the faith we've been given at Baptism. Again, countless things in life, including some of the current events referenced in this reflection, provide significant distractions to our focus on the Lord. Remember, the work of the enemy is distraction and diversion. The enemy wants to take our attention away from the Lord and concentrate on other things. So, as a member of the Church, we ward off these fears and distractions by giving regular time to the Lord in prayer, almsgiving and our fasting.

The end is near, of course. Jesus is coming again, of course. Our part is to be less concerned about the particular predictors or the exact time and more concerned about growing in our faith. Growth in faith means making an effort each day to learn more, pray more, act more to provide smoother ground for the work of Jesus. To conclude, we know neither the day nor the hour. Also, to quote a priest friend of mine, we can be guaranteed one thing for sure about the second coming of Jesus… we are 2016 years closer than we were at the time of Christ. Keep the faith, pray for one another, be agents of mercy and make a good Lent so we can celebrate Easter with a deep joy knowing that we have done well heeding the Lord's commands.

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