Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 156

"It is my choice to die at the hands of men with the hope God gives of being raised up by him; but for you, there will be no resurrection to life."

As the Church ponders the mystery of the Four Last Things -- death, judgment, heaven and hell -- it may help to consider the thoughts of non-Christian writers.

• The unexamined life is not worth living for a human being. Socrates
• The difficulty, my friends, is not in avoiding death, but in avoiding unrighteousness; for that runs deeper than death. Socrates
• For this fear of death is indeed the pretense of wisdom, and not real wisdom, being the appearance of knowing the unknown; since no one knows whether death, which they in their fear apprehend to be the greatest evil, may not be the greatest good. Plato
• "It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live." Marcus Aelius Aurelius
• Do not wait for the Last Judgment. It takes place every day. Albert Camus

Contrary to the general opinion, Catholics didn't invent the notion of judgment. Socrates plagued his fellow Athenians, especially the Establishment, with his reminder that there is more to life than power and the esteem of others. He questioned their integrity with his questions about virtue. Their judge, it seemed, was not "on high" but in the lowly: the slaves who suffered their contempt; the intellectuals who suggested better ways to do things; the criminals who flouted their rules; and the young who would replace them, Unable to endure his gadfly to their bovine stupidity, they forced him to drink hemlock and die -- which he did with astonishing dignity.

That sense of Someone or Something which stands above every human being and measures their individual worth comes with being human. Even if we ignore it, or wish it away, it abides in one's own sense of dignity and self-esteem. I might decide I am beyond judgment but I'll take outrageous offense at anyone who snubs me.
The easiest way to deal with this persistent awareness, of course, is to be in a hurry, always rushing off to the next engagement, the next entertainment and the next expectation. "I really don't care what others think of me, or even what God thinks of me, because I am in a great hurry." Henry David Thoreau described this way of life: 

The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation.

Turning to the scriptures we find that same fear of judgement. But the scriptures give us a name for the Judge, and one who appeals for us before the Judge.

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin. So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help. (Hebrews 4:14-16) 

...since through the blood of Jesus we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary by the new and living way he opened for us through the veil, that is, his flesh, and since we have “a great priest over the house of God,” let us approach with a sincere heart and in absolute trust, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope, for he who made the promise is trustworthy. Hebrew 10:19-23

It is right to fear God the Just Judge. God is absolute; we are contingent. Our existence depends entirely upon God's good will toward us. What could be more terrifying than that realization? 

Fear of Judgement and Justice compels us to put all the more trust in Jesus who is our priest, advocate and mediator before God. We have no claim upon God except Jesus' human affection for us. We have no righteousness except that which Jesus has given us. We have no life except the Spirit of Jesus which abides in us. 

Today's first reading recalls the martyrs who died for their faith. In this particular story we hear the assurance of one young man. He knows the Lord will not abandon him even in death; and the Lord will punish his tormentors. God will certainly judge and condemn both evil and evil-doers. That is as certain as the Lord's resurrection. But those who trust in the Lord have no fear of judgement. 

All praise be Yours, my Lord, through Sister Death,from whose embrace no mortal can escape.Woe to those who die in mortal sin,happy those she finds doing your will!The second death can do no harm to them.Praise and bless my Lord and give Him thanks,and serve Him with great humility. 

                Saint Francis of Assisi, The Canticle of the Sun