"Present Moment" - A Reflection on the 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time - Year B

“The world is coming to an end!”

As December 21^st is rapidly approaching, we are surely going to here more of this phrase from all the prophets of doom. Some of us certainly wish to maintain that a “healthy” dose of panic is just what we need to add to all the tragedies already happening around the world. Don’t we just love it?

A bit of sarcasm certainly confirms what my stand is on this whole “the world ends on December 21^st.” Why? I have the Lord Jesus to back me up as He himself reminds us once more in the Gospel today,

"But of that day or hour, no one knows,
neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

Any other claim is nothing but out right presumptuous.

However, as the liturgical year of the Church is closing and we await the Season of Advent, the Church allows us to hear from Scriptures, especially in the Gospel readings, passages regarding the end of time when Christ will return to judge the living and the dead. If you have paid attention to the readings at Mass for the last two weeks or so, you would understand what I mean. And, of course, a clear example is today’s Gospel: the Lord presents quite a scene regarding his returning, echoing what the prophet Daniel wrote about the Son of Man in the Old Testament. If you want to know what it looks like, look up the image of the Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo.

We might want to ask: what is the purpose behind such an intentional choice from the Church?

Is it to frighten us?

Most certainly not.

In revisiting these passages, Mother Church wishes to remind her children that there is more to this earthly life; that while living this life, we ought to keep our gaze fixed on what is to come; that our true destination is eternal happiness with God in heaven; and most importantly, how we live our calling as children of God does have an impact on the day we stand before our Lord to give him an account of our life.

All of these teachings are so countercultural. The majority of people today prefer to live as if there is no tomorrow. Many would argue that they alone get to decide how they want to live their lives and no one has the right to say otherwise. Well, in a certain aspect, it is true. Human freedom given to us is a gift so great that even God himself would not violate. God himself will not impose on us how we choose to live our lives. He never did and will never do.

We, as the people of faith, nevertheless, must keep in mind a simple fact that, although our existence is a gift from God and he will not dictate how we are supposed to live, He has made us and has entrusted us with many gifts and talents, and at the end of the day, he truly does have the right to ask what we have done with these gifts and talents.

With all of that in mind, what is the message for us as we reflect on the Scriptures reading this Sunday?

Here it is: waste not your breath trying to figure out when the world is going to end. The day will come when God sees fit.

Now, it doesn’t mean that we become complacent and unconcerned. Quite the contrary. It is because we do not know the day and the time when our Judge will come, we do have the present moment to live and, as God would wish, to make it most meaningful by filling it with love.

You have heard that at the last judgment, Christ will not ask how much you have done and accomplished; he will ask you how much you’ve loved. I am firmly convinced of this truth. What truly matters will be how much we have loved.

And, friends, we have the present moment to do just that. There are hungry people to feed, sad people to console, needy people to help, prisoners to visit, and sick people for whom to care. There is much too do. The world is so hungered for love. Live the present moment to its fullest. Make it beautiful by bringing God to those who need him. Don’t waste time worrying if the world is going to end tomorrow, a week from now, or December 21. Worry, instead, that you and I wouldn’t know what to say to the Lord when He asks us, “How much have you loved?”