Teach all nations

Our readings today touch on two issues - the first one, fairly obvious, deals with Christ’s second coming and final judgment - what has been called the end times - the second issue our readings deal with, which isn’t as obvious, is a call to discipleship - how we, as followers of Christ are to live our lives knowing that final judgment is a reality.

In our first reading, from the Book of the Prophet Malachi, we hear the fearless spokesman for God rebuking the people of Israel for their many sins and for their hypocrisy. You have to read more from the book of the Prophet Malachi to discover just what sins it was he was speaking out against, they aren’t in our short reading today - but here they are, I pulled them out for us and as I read them for you think about how applicable some if not all of these sins are today. It appears that:

1. God’s chosen people had become careless and lax in keeping His Laws.
2. Priests neglected their duties and showed partiality in their judgments.
3. People failed to give tithes and offerings.
4. They questioned God’s goodness and His love for them.
5. Divorce was commonly practiced.
6. And, when they came to worship God, they did not enjoy it, they grumbled that it made them weary.

Malachi strongly condemned each of these sins. The prophet words to the Israelites then, and to each of us today, is that those who fear God have no need to fear His justice - but those, the proud and the evildoers - who do not fear God - the day is coming, blazing like an oven, when they will be made stubble. The Prophet Malachi’s warning to the Jewish people then is just as relevant to each of us today - the day of judgment is coming - and we must be prepared.

In our second reading, from the second letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians - we hear St. Paul reminding those who follow Christ that they should not become a burden on anyone, they should, using him as a model, “pay their own way”, support themselves and their families, and if they are unwilling to work then they should not eat. He goes on to say that they should mind their on business and not the business of others.

Some scholars believe that the people St. Paul was addressing believed that “the day of the Lord” (the second coming of Christ) had either arrived or had drawn so close that they need not work to support themselves anymore - but in doing so, they were taking advantage of others; they were placing an unfair burden on the community and abusing the generosity of the Church.

All three of our readings today speak to us about the day of judgment that is coming - and people then as well as today are more concerned about when it will come - we hear in the Gospel that the people asked Jesus “Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these this are about to happen?“ - what matters is not the timing of final judgment but the fact that it will come - that each and everyone of us will experience it - some sooner than others.

in each Sunday's Liturgy we recite in the Nicene Creed, we say: "He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. After the Consecration, we say, "Christ has died, Christ has risen, and Christ will come again." And in the Our Father we pray for the Second Coming in the prayer Jesus Himself taught us - we pray: "Thy kingdom come."

Jesus told us that of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven or the Son, but the Father alone and that it will come like a thief in the night - so be prepared.
Final Judgment is a reality and will come - but in the meantime, we Christians have much to do. St. Paul tells us that we cannot idle our time away. Nor can we afford the luxury, as Paul says, of minding everybody's business but our own. Using him as a model we should work - night and day - so as not to be a burden on our families, friends and community.

We should live each day as if it is our last day which means we should always be prepared for our day of judgment - either when we die or for Christ’s second coming - but we should also plan for the future so as not to become a burden - and a simple rule to follow is to remember that we make a living from what we receive but we make a life from what we give.

If we lived each day as if it were our last then death would have no power over us and final judgment would not be something we feared - we would reorder our lives and our priorities and fear and anxiety surrounding death would disappear. To live each day as if it is our last means to live in a constant state of grace - and we can do that by celebrating the sacraments (reconciliation and Eucharist) often; by spending at least an hour a day in prayer or adoration; and by giving freely of our time, talent and treasure.

Each of us can make a difference in the world. We are called to be lights to those around us. We shouldn’t complain and grumble over what our community lacks - we are here to bring to that community what it needs. Where hatred, malice and discord reign we should bring love, pardon and peace. For lying we bring truth and for despair and doubt we bring hope and faith.

Where there is sadness we are called to bring joy - together each of us, as members of this faith community and God’s Church - we are called to be family - it’s not easy - it takes sacrifice and hard work - but we, using St. Paul as a model, should toil day and night to bring about God’s kingdom - in each of our lives, in each of our families, and in our communities.
That is how each of us can make a difference, that is how we become lights shining in this world of darkness.

Now, some might say that the “good news” in our Gospel today isn‘t that “good” - you see we find that in our Gospel reading the second not so obvious challenge our readings lay before us today, each of us are called to be martyrs. We hear that “we will be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and some of us will be put to death - and that all of us will be hated because of His name.”

We may not die physically for claiming Christ as our savior and following Him but we are called to commit a sort of social suicide if you will - to reject the ways of the world - we are called to be in the world but NOT of the world - we are called to die to those things in our culture and society that run counter to Church teaching - only by rejecting those things and becoming in a sense martyrs will we be saved.

Today's gospel and it’s call for us to be martyrs can be frightening if we aren’t living our lives as if today is our last day - as if we will face final judgment tomorrow. The reality is that Jesus demands that each of us give witness, become martyrs if we want to be saved.

It can be frightening because the Lord demands that we stand up for Him, His kingdom and the Christian way of life in a materialistic, self-centered world. It can be frightening because it demands that we accept grief from those who mock us - even if that is our family, relatives and friends. It can be frightening because it proclaims that only by patient endurance can we be saved.

This is the challenge of Christianity. Today is the last Sunday in Ordinary Time and next week we celebrate Christ the King - the last Sunday in the Church year. Jesus gave us the perfect model of what it means to follow Him - He laid down His life so each of us might live - He shed His blood for the forgiveness of our sins and He conquered death on the cross so each of us might live.

Let us pray for the grace to endure any trails and embrace the cross like Jesus did; let us accept the truth that death and sin have no power over us - let us live our lives - each and everyday - as members of God’s kingdom here on earth - then, and only then we will make a difference in this world.