Jesus said to his disciples:
“Stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
The words, too, are frightening:
THAT day of wrath, that dreadful day,
shall heaven and earth in ashes lay,
as David and the Sybil say.
What horror must invade the mind
when the approaching Judge shall find
and sift the deeds of all mankind!
and so forth, for nineteen tercets. Although the dirge ends with hopeful words -- Lord, have mercy, Jesus blest, grant them all Your Light and Rest. Amen. -- the overall mood is pessimistic. We really don't deserve mercy and have little reasonable hope of attaining heaven.
The song was written by a thirteenth century Franciscan, and my own disposition inclines to pessimism -- my friend Tony called me a "pestimist" -- but I think the Gospels give us more reason to hope.
Romantics prefer underdogs and lost causes, Christians take their stand with the Winner and we believe that God has already won the victory for us. The Judgement Day -- "That Day!" -- will be the Victory Day when the whole world, astonished and stricken with awe, will acknowledge that Jesus is Lord!
Every knee shall bow in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue proclaim, that Jesus Christ is Lord!
Forgetting the particular, minor matter of our personal salvation, we look forward to the Revelation of God's glory. What a day that will be! It is worth staying awake for!
Fools hope it never comes; and if it must come, they hope it won't be today, or within the foreseeable future. They dismiss the wisdom of Jesus's advice. The New Testament is rife with warnings about such foolishness. It will come in any case, whether we look for it or not.
Since the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the United States has tried to maintain an alert readiness for attacks from every direction. Despite that we've been caught off guard by many unexpected developments: recessions, epidemics, hurricanes, fires, and --not least -- 9/11.
The Church also teaches us to be alert for the Day of the Lord. But it will be for us neither a Dies Irae nor a sudden plandemic. It will be a joyous day for God and all the saints, for you and me.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.