Dan. 12:1-3; Ps. 16:5, 8-11; Heb. 10:11-14, 18; Mk. 13:24-32
Heaven or hell that is the question. As we come to the end of the church calendar year the readings have focused on the end times, the last four things to come; death, judgement, heaven or hell. The study of the last four things is called Eschatology. The time of tribulation is upon us. It began as soon as Jesus was lifted on the cross but now its our turn to pass through the tribulation of our times and answer the question for ourselves, heaven or hell. Will we rise or will we fall? Will we be found “written in the book” to live forever or fall into the everlasting horror of disgrace? One way to answer the question is whether we are we among those who “lead many to justice” or whether we contributed to the sin of others.
Often, we fail to ask ourselves if we have lead others to sin or to justice. Wisdom from Daniel today is asking us to examine our lives based on the impact we have made in the lives of others. It is not just about my responsibility to myself but also my responsibility to others and it begins in the home. For example, the moral compass we teach our children to follow. Does the commandment “you shall not kill” apply to the unborn? Does hate speech lead others to justice or to sin? Does “male and female he created them” allow someone to change their sexual identity? Have we led others to love God or to just love themselves without awareness of their creation in the image of God? Our action or inaction has a lasting consequence for the good of justice or for the sin of injustice. It is the ripple effect from generation to generation that keeps on giving or sinning.
We have a tendency to judge ourselves based on a simple attitude that “I am a good person”. Let us recall the words of Jesus, “Why do you call me good, only God is good.” We are sinners and we have a tendency to overlook our sins. We might assume that if we have not committed a grave sin we are headed straight to heaven. Thank God for purgatory for the sins we have overlooked. We may be surprised of all the sins of omission we committed in not responding to the call to serve God in every moment and opportunity we had to “go forth” and live the gospel.
The good news is that “by one offering he has made perfect forever those who are being consecrated”. The baptized are being consecrated to live the gospel. When we come seeking forgiveness “there is no longer offering for sin”, his sacrifice has atoned for our sin on the path to heaven and yet there is still a judgment day to come. Now then the question is “have we come seeking forgiveness” or are we in the delusion that being a good person there is no need to seek forgiveness and remain in our sin till the day of judgment. “But the wise shall shine brightly” for in their humility they have come seeking forgiveness as often as they fall and “rise like the stars”. Heaven not hell is the just reward for the penitent. “Lord have mercy on me a sinner.”
“But of that day or hour” be vigilant. Recently a servant of the Lord came knocking on my door. He had recently been baptized in his protestant faith and was sharing his views on the end times. He believed we were living the end times in our generation and the Lord would come soon. I could not agree with him more with the exception that he understood it would be in his lifetime. “There is no time with God: a thousand years, a single day, it is all one (2 Peter 3:8)”. Jesus says, “Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place”. The disciples heard this and believed it represented “the Son of Man coming in the clouds” in their lifetime. But in the absence of time with God the “day or hour” is simply the moment he has established for “all these things (to) have taken place”. God’s time is always in the present thus we are to look at the last four things as always happening in the current moment. Each day many come face to face with their last four things their death, their particular judgment, and heaven or hell. That moment could be our moment on any day.
Who is in hell? The Church is silent and we won’t know for sure till until we pass through the last four things but in Dante’s “Divine Comedy” (c.1320) there are nine circles of hell and he places three Popes there. We might have our own list of who we consider having gained the judgment of hell but as the sinner hung on the cross next to Jesus and asked to be remembered Jesus gave him the gift of mercy. Hell is real and Jesus proclaims it in Mathew 25:45-46 “He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of the least ones, you did not do for me.’ And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” “Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. (Mt. 25:41)” Eternal punishment is hell for there no more hope of salvation from this suffering. The path to heaven or hell is clearly laid out for us by Jesus.
The world is filled with many who are among the least who hunger, thirst, are a stranger, locked up within the cells of sinners and have no one to bring them the care from heaven. They are the golden path for us to bring them the kingdom of God we carry within us and minister to their needs. This is the path of righteousness Jesus is calling us to follow. If we claim to be “a good person” are we a good person to the least or just good to those we love? If God came calling this day and placed us in front of a mirror, what do we see? Do we simply see ourselves or do we see the image of Christ in us, or is the reflection darkened by our sins that we cannot make out the image in front of us? If we see the image of Christ then heaven not hell is waiting. If we simply see ourselves then the “good person” we believe we are may need to the path of purgatory to wash clean their baptismal robes. But, if we cannot see an image through the darkness of sin hell not heaven may be coming soon.
We are to learn to seek, go, and do. We are to seek daily the mercy of God, go to confession when we knowingly have committed mortal sin, and do acts of penance and reparation. Like children we want to be forgiven and the sin forgotten and let Jesus’ suffering once atone for our sins. Is there a need for us to do our reparation to atone for our sins? Repentance comes with doing an act of love for the wrong we have committed. Let us never ignore, forget, or discount the value of doing reparation for our sins. Just like those “small” sins add up so do our small acts of love to bring us the grace of God from heaven. To love God with all our heart, mind and soul is to join him in his suffering for our sins and the sins of the world with the love of atonement. The love of prayer is atonement, the love of the Mass is atonement, and the love of serving the least is also atonement. Heaven or hell waits but not for long.
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