Daily Catholic Reflection: Friday, November 29, 2024, Friday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

 

Rv 20:1-4, 11—21:2

Ps 84:3, 4, 5-6a, 8a

Lk 21:29-33                                       Full Readings

Saint Clement

We Will Be Judged According to Our Deeds

Brethren, Christianity, like some other religions, strongly believes in life after death. This belief is very consoling and encouraging. It spurs us on to live good and righteous lives. Everything does not end here at our death. After our earthly life, we shall receive the reward due to us at judgment time. God is pure/holy. Hence, if we want to live eternally with God in the “new Jerusalem," we should believe in the good news and put into practice the commandments of God and the teachings of Christ. St. John tells us in the first reading that we shall all rise on the judgement day and we shall be judged according to our deeds, no any other criterion. Our deeds must be in line with God's commandments and his will. Those who do not believe in life after death/resurrection may live carefree lives. Their adage is “Let us eat today, for tomorrow we die." Such people should remember the four last things: death, judgement, heaven, and hell. After death comes judgement, then either heaven or hell.

The liturgical year is coming to a close, Jesus is also summing up his teachings on the end of time, and he tells us that all the signs that he has been telling us in the past few days, are not only signs of the coming of the Son of Man but the coming of the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom which will for eternally be established by the Son of Man conquering all evil and Satan while the last enemy to be conquered being death. Jesus seals his words with an assurance in today's gospel that heaven and earth will pass away but his words will never pass away; everything he said will have to happen; his word remains forever. It is a matter of time. Therefore, brethren, just as we read the seasons of the year, we should be able to read the signs of the coming of the kingdom, and thus be prepared for it. 

When heaven and earth pass away, what shall we behold? It is the new heaven and the new earth that John talks about in the first reading. This new heaven and new earth is the kingdom of God in its fullness, and it will be beheld by those who have prepared for it. The Son of Man will come and take his judgment seat to judge between the just and the wicked. The just, the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, and who had not worshipped the beast or its image nor had accepted its mark on their foreheads or hands, will behold the new heaven and the new earth, and the wicked, including their leader Satan, what John calls the beast, will be cast into eternal damnation.

We do not know the day nor the hour when the Lord Jesus will return again in glory. But the Lord does give us signs, not only to "wake us up" as a warning but also to "rouse our spirits" to be ready and eager to receive his kingdom when he comes in all his power and glory. The "Day of the Lord" will strike terror in those who have ignored or rejected God, but it will be a day of joy and rejoicing for those who long to see the Lord face-to-face. The Lord Jesus wants us to be filled with joyful anticipation for his coming again.

The only thing we know is that we shall be judged according to our deeds, but above all, as John puts it in the first reading, the deed of witness to Christ even up to death and not submitting to the worship of the beast/Satan and his angels will save our lives. So brethren, while we wait for the Lord's physical return in glory, we know that the kingdom of God is already among us waiting for final fulfilment at the end of time. Let us clothe ourselves with works of charity, love, justice, and peace so that we can start living in the kingdom while still on earth. We can know his presence with us through the work and action of the Holy Spirit, who dwells in our hearts. The Lord Jesus comes daily and frequently to those who long for him, and he speaks tenderly to our hearts like a lover who whispers in the ear of the beloved. He comes to show us the way to our heavenly Father and to give us the hope of eternal life. Do you recognize his presence, and do you listen to his words? Do you allow the Spirit to guide you always so that the kingdom of God can be felt in your life and your actions? The word of Jesus, which will never pass away and is always speaking to your heart; listen to it.

Let us Pray

Lord Jesus Christ, you are the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end of all history, and the lord of all creation. Give me joyful hope and assurance that I will see you face to face and be united with you forever when you return in glory. Amen

Be blessed