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Concerning times and seasons, brothers and sisters, you have no need for anything to be written to you.  For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief at night.

(1 Thessalonians 5:1-2)

 

Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things happening, know that he is near, at the gates. Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.  But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. (Mark 13:28-32)

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The fledgling church in Thessalonica asked questions through St. Timothy, and St. Paul answered them by letter.  We can infer the questions:  When will the end come?  And if our loved ones are dead and buried when Jesus comes again, will they be left behind?  Can You tell us, Jesus?

 

St. Paul sought to give hope, encouragement and comfort where there was none, and to dispel ignorance so that Christians in every age might be informed as a protection from erroneous ideas, from false prophets, and even those within the Church that might disturb their peace or lead them into a counterfeit Christianity.

 

For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

(1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)

 

The greatest purpose of the prophetic Word is the pursuit of holiness by Christ’s body, the Church.  All biblical passages about the Day of the Lord, the Second Coming of Christ, the End Times are the bases for exhortation to godliness, faithfulness and perseverance in holiness among the godless, faithless and wicked of this chaotic world of our making.  This includes themes like living as aliens in His service, as strangers in your own country:

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Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them,

glorify God in the day of visitation.

(1 Peter 2:11)

 

Christians are but strangers in a strange land, sojourners and pilgrims on the road.   Heaven is our true home and hope defines us on this journey. With Christ is like a stairway to Heaven’s light; apart from Christ is a subway to the darkest pit.

 

Pope emeritus Benedict XVI on February 28, 2013 said that as of 8:00 p.m. he would no longer be pope:

 

I am simply a pilgrim beginning the last leg of his pilgrimage on this earth.

 

Hope is the great motivation in the Christ-life; hope is the reason Christians endure suffering.  Hope motivates our witness and powers our evangelism.  Hope is the fulfillment of the Christian life when we stand before the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ, and receive the crown of glory from His hand at His coming:

 

And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory

that will never fade away.

(1 Peter 5:4)

 

For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when He comes? Is it not you?

(1 Thessalonians 2:19)

 

We should stand out from among the crowd as a distinct people, just as cream is separated from milk.  We are not of this world, just as Our Savior and His kingdom are not of this world:

 

Jesus said, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, My servants would fight to prevent My arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now My kingdom is from another place.’

(John 18:36)

 

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.

(Romans 12:2)

 

The words Concerning times (chronos) and seasons (kairos) show that St. Paul is turning to another question from the Thessalonian church.  It is related to the date and character of the Day of the Lord, that is, the Second Coming of Jesus.  When will it come, and how will it be for us?  St. Paul speaks of two realities:  one for the children of the Light, those who live in the daylight of God’s personal revelation through Christ and expected to achieve it, and one for the children of the night’s darkness who will be taken by surprise:

 

For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief at night. When people are saying, ‘Peace and security,’ then sudden disaster comes upon them, like labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

(1 Thessalonians 5:2-3)

 

The children of light, then and now, you and me, must conduct our lives in a distinctively Christian manner in contrast to those in darkness and as a contradiction and therefore light to a world lost in the dark.  Awake and alert, sober and dressed for the Wedding Feast of the Lamb, that is, when the kingdom of the world becomes the Kingdom of God and of His Christ:

 

Put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground. So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate, and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace. In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

(Ephesians 6:13-17)

 

And finally, we must comfort (parakaleo) one another.  That means to encourage each other by our own example and sometimes loving but firm admonishment to hold to the faith.  As The Holy Spirit is our Paraclete—our Comforter and Enabler—so we must accompany each other in solidarity.  We need edification from our Church leaders, our parents, our teachers and those who have legitimate authority over us.  We are to help one another stay sober and spiritually awake in view of who we are as Christians and in view of our glorious inheritance as Children of God.  We are to help believers find their strength in the Savior and not in the details of life or from the things of this world, which is passing away and headed for sure destruction.  We are not to be “this generation” kind of people who live as “worldlings” or mud-dwellers, as those who make no plans for the future or are unconcerned about spiritual matters.  We must build each other up, not scandalize each other by surrendering to our human weaknesses.  AMEN.

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CHRIST THE KING SONNET

 

We come now to a feast of Ends and Beginnings! This Sunday is the last Sunday in the cycle of the Christian year, which ends with the feast of Christ the King, and the following Sunday we begin our journey through time to eternity once more, with the first Sunday of Advent. We might expect the Feast of Christ the King to end the year with climactic images of Christ enthroned in Glory, seated high above all rule and authority, one before whom every knee shall bow, and of course those are powerful and important images, images of our humanity brought by Him to the throne of the Heavens. But alongside such images we must also set the passage in Matthew (25:31-46) in which Christ reveals that even as He is enthroned in Glory, the King who comes to judge at the end of the ages, He is also the hidden King, hidden beneath the rags and even in the flesh of his poor here on earth.

 

A Sonnet by Malcolm Guite

From “Sounding the Seasons”

 

Our King is calling from the hungry furrows
Whilst we are cruising through the aisles of plenty, Our hoardings screen us from the man of sorrows, Our soundtracks drown his murmur:

‘I am thirsty’.

He stands in line to sign in as a stranger
And seek a welcome from the world he made,
We see him only as a threat, a danger,
He asks for clothes, we strip-search him instead.
And if he should fall sick then we take care
That he does not infect our private health,
We lock him in the prisons of our fear
Lest he unlock the prison of our wealth.
But still on Sunday we shall stand and sing
The praises of our hidden Lord and King.

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Christ the King

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He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in Him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible,

whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created

through Him and for Him.

(1 Colossians 1:16)

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Today the Christian year ends with a festival that celebrates and proclaims Christ's lordship over all things.  The message is:  Jesus Christ is Lord, the image of the invisible God.

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Christ is not simply our Lord and Savior, but Lord and Savior of all the human race—this is what Catholics confess.

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He is the image (icon) of the Invisible God.  The word behind image is "icon," making visible what is otherwise invisible. He is the manifestation of God in flesh and blood—the transcendent become immanent—so that flesh and blood might know beyond any doubt Who God is, God’s purpose in this world, and what God wants of us. But as icon of the invisible He is more than simply what God looks like. He is also the One through whom you and I enter into God's eternal yet ever immanent presence. That is what icons do for us; they transport us into the reality they signify. The world of computers gives us an immediate illustration. When you click on an icon, the program behind it opens to you, and you find yourself transported into its wondrous world. In a religious and liturgical frame of reference, focusing on an icon draws you through that image into the presence of the one so portrayed. And, so, when you enter an Orthodox sanctuary, you know yourself to be surrounded by the company of saint; and when you look upon one of the many magnificent icons of Christ, you find yourself drawn through the surface of that reality into the very heart of Christ Himself. This is what The Church confesses about Jesus: He is the Christ of God; He is the One through Whom you and I can be drawn into the very presence of the invisible God. He is the icon of God, the image of the invisible:

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And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

(2 Corinthians 3:18)

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He is the firstborn of all creation. The word "firstborn" here is less temporal than of rank (3) --sovereign both within and over creation.

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For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the first-born among many brethren. (Romans 8:29)

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He was not only present at creation; He is the One through whom God created all things in heaven and earth.

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Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from Whom are all things and for Whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through Whom are all things and through Whom we exist. (1 Corinthians 8:6)

 

The One who entered the world in order to redeem it is the One through whom God created the world in the first place. He is the master artist who, at the cost of His life, entered into his damaged masterpiece to restore it to its original glory. Doing so, Christ became not only creation's source, but also its goal.

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He is the One who holds this cosmos together now. Listen to that affirmation carefully. It tells us that this world is not under the control of national leaders, thirsty for power, or weapons of mass destruction, or those crazed with a religious zeal that not only crucifies and cuts off the heads of others, but even commits suicide to pursue its goals.

 

What holds this world together is not the survival of the fittest or the unending cycle of violence since Cain and Abel acted out in the various theaters of hatred in today's world, or even the continuing biological cycle of birth, life, death, decay and re-birth that we see in nature.

 

Not What but He who holds this world together is the power of the One True God, the Giver of Life, who created and redeemed it and Who in sovereignty over it all continues to hold it together. The cosmos belongs to Christ and will not be wrested from Him:  He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:17)

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Christ is the head of the body, The Church. The pope is not Lord of the Church, and his many cardinals, archbishops and bishops are not his regents and royal court. Not just The Roman Catholic Church, or the myriad of Protestant denominations—Mainline, Free, Evangelical, or Pentecostal churches.  He is head and present in each and every assembly of the faithful who faithfully proclaim His word and celebrate His sacraments.   In our time, it is important to say that He is truly present where women and men not only hear Christ speak in the proclamation of the Word and receive Christ in the flesh in Holy Communion, but then make Christ present in this world as they bear him faithfully in their daily living. Therein, The Church, regardless of the denominational name by which it is identified, demonstrates Who is its One True Head and Lord. The Church, as body of Christ, becomes His living presence in this world when you and I bear Christ from our places of worship into the many places God has called upon each one of us to bear witness to and serve Him. You are Christ’s ambassador in your office, in your apartment building, in your neighborhood, in your parenting association, in all of your associations and relationships, public and private. Each of us who has put on Christ in the waters of baptism and lives into that identity—listening for Him to speak as God's Word is read and proclaimed and waiting upon Him by faith as we receive Him in the Sacrament of the Eucharist—becomes a means for Christ to be present in this world—a sacramental, if you will, of His real presence in 21st century life.

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Christ reigns in and through each of us. As a consequence, you and I are called to evangelize, to teach and to model discipleship to others.  We seek reconciliation where there is alienation and healing where there is brokenness—brokenness in the Church, brokenness in our families and in our Nation.  This is our mandate, our great commission and our vocation as Catholics. Those who dare to claim the name of Christ must bear Him, heeding His call to heal divisions, defend and restore life and seek peace; that is what it means to be a Theotokos, or God-bearer, the name given to Our Lady and the Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ.  For, you see, Christ not only saves souls—reconciling them to His Father—Christ calls on all souls to be reconciled to one another and work for peace and security between enemies. Christ commands that you and I find ways to address whatever injustices we encounter, wherever we encounter them in this world, and resolve them peacefully. As Christ bearers, we are called to honor and protect the unborn life in a mother's womb and value the life of the growing child. Why? Because it is Christ's life that is at the center of all life in this world, holding it together for His and His Father's purposes. He is Head of The Church and becomes present in this world each time you and I make Him sovereign in our own lives.

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He is the beginning, not only the One through whom creation came into being, but the One through whom the new creation is unfolding--the new beginning--the firstborn of the dead. Our hope in the face of death is the resurrection of Jesus, the Christ of God. As God re-membered (that word is hyphenated) his Son, and breathed God's creative Spirit of life back into Jesus' dead body to raise him to life beyond this life, so too God promises that same act of re-membrance for each one of us who embraces that promised gift in faith. God promises to re-member us, to raise us beyond the power of death and give us life so radically transformed that we can only speak of it as a new beginning, a new creation.

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He is the beginning and the end—the firstborn of God's new creation.  He is the One in Whom all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, not only to redeem and restore, but also to reconcile things—not just some things, but all things, making peace through the blood of his cross.  Christ's sacrifice on the cross was not simply in order to reconcile you and me to God. The enmity that invaded creation, revealed in the chaos, hatred, warfare and brokenness so apparent in life today, has been overcome through the blood of Christ's Cross and has opened Christ's realm of peace to any who will embrace it in the fullness of faith and faithfulness. Christ is not only the source and sustainer of all creation, He is also the goal to Whom all creation moves. Christ is not some abstract idea conjured in new-aged thought, but the Crucified One Who died, was raised, reigns and promises to come again so that you and I, and the whole created order, may be caught up in God's act of New Creation (Revelations 21).

This is startling, regal, comprehensive language that reveals the Reign of Christ in which you and I are living right now. So as the liturgical year comes to and end, I offer this prayer for you:

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May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from Christ’s glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to The Father, Who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His Beloved Son, in Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.  AMEN.

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