About that day, on one knows neither the angels nor the Son but Only the Father.
Each year at this time, the Church invites us to meditate upon the, "last things" namely
death, judgment, heaven and eternal punishment or hell.
1. Death:
For us Christians, death is not an end but a beginning. It is a new beginning to
everlasting life. In the gospels, Jesus says' "do not let your heart be troubled but trust
in God and trust in me. And I am going now to prepare a place for you and after I have
prepared a place for you, I will come to you and take you with me so that where I am, you
may also be.
The great emperor Alexander had three death wishes. He wanted his coffin carried by
physicians to show to the world that no one can stop death not even physicians.Anyone who
enters into this world has to exit. He wanted gold, silver and precious things be thrown
before his coffin till graveyard to show to the world that nothing is precious but only
what we do for others and he finally wanted his hands dangling from the coffin to show to
the world that he came into this world empty handed and is going away empty handed.
We will be judged according to our chiristian living and that is why for us Christians,
death is a celebration and joy.
2. Judgment:
We believe that on the last day, the same Jesus suffered and died on the Crosss for us; the
same Jesus who rose to life and is now seated at the right hand of the Father, will come to
judge us. He will judge us with compassion and love.
Once, a man who was passing by a road, noticed a blind child begging with a sign saying,"I
am blind, help me with money".Eveydody passed by but no one helped the boy. The man put
some coins in the bowl and rewrote something else on the sign pad. And he went on his way.
when Other people passing by, started donating money to this blind child upon reading that
sing pad. Beggar child was surprised and amazed. He knew that someone came earlier, donated
him some coin and re-wrote his sing pad, but he didn’t know what he wrote.
Now that person, was again passing by the same road. He stood near that blind child and
noticed that child’s bowl was full of coins. Child also recognized him and asked what
exactly he wrote that people started donating him coins? He replied, “Nothing much, Son. It
gives the same meaning, though I used different words.”. He said “I wrote - Today is such a
beautiful day but I can’t see it, I’m blind.”
The gospels say Jesus will judge us according to our charitable activity. Anything we do to
the least of our brothers or sisters we do unto him.
3. Heaven:
Jesus' second coming will open wide the gates of paradise for those who believe and follow
Him.
Once a soldier came to a spiritual master and asked: " Is there really a paradise and a
hell?"
"Who are you?"asked the master.
he replied, "I am a soldier".
The master looked at him and laughed and said, "what kind of king will have you. you look
like a weak and feeble person who even walk properly"
The soldier got so mad and he began to draw his sword. The master looked at the sword and
said, "it looks so dull and you want to cut my head off with this"
the soldier now actually drew his sword.
the master then remarked: "Here open the gates of hell!"
hearing the master's words, the soldier put his sword back and bowed down before him and
then the master said,
"Here open the gates of paradise".
No one knows the day or the hour of the coming of the Lord but as He promised, he will come
with His angels and archangels to judge us. And His judgment will open the gates of
paradise for us who believe in Him.
And the forth one is about eternal punishment or hell, and we who were baptized into the
holy catholic church and we who put our faith into practice, need not to be afraid of
eternal punishment because our home is paradise and we are called to enter into life
everlasting one day and until then let us continue our spiritual journey with hope. Yes,
HOPE is a good thing and it is the best of all things. Amen.
