Today at Holy Mass we hear Jesus say in the Gospel of St Luke…….”The Kingdom of God is at hand”……Does that mean God is going to snap his fingers and “fix” everything right NOW?…..That God is going to “snatch us all up” to heaven NOW?….Does not seem to be the case - So what does that mean?…It means that the victory has been won - Jesus rose from the dead - He conquered death….The devil is on “his last legs”….As far as when Jesus returns to the earth in glory - Not our business - No one knows the day or the hour - “Our job” is to live the Gospel because we will die and face judgement - Believe it!…..I think people, including Catholics take our individual judgement way to lightly…Jesus’s words (not my words) are very exacting….He very clearly lays out what is expected of us….Now we all fall short - I “get it” - But when we do - Do we confess our sins?…..The Church is VERY clear on that point…..And we will not be judged on “our terms” - The “I’m a good guy” standard like many think is not going to "cut it"…..Jesus goes on in Luke’s Gospel today at Mass… - “Addressing those who do not listen to the Gospel…..Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you, go out into the streets and say, ‘The dust of your town that clings to our feet, even that we shake off against you.’ Yet know this: the Kingdom of God is at hand. I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town”…..Do you “think” Jesus was speaking “figuratively” here? - Does not appear so to me…..Our world only knows what it knows - I say that because - If we are a formed Catholic - Then we KNOW! - That means we have been given a GREAT responsibility…..The standard in which we will be judged will be MUCH HIGHER then those who do not know or are not formed…..
“But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk, then that servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the unfaithful. That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more"
We have two choices here….Ignore what Jesus says…or…Take what he says serious….Ultimately, if we believe that Jesus rose from the dead, which most people do believe…Then we have to believe everything he says - RIGHT?!?…..Today Jesus tells us……”The Kingdom of God is at hand”……One day we will stand before God - Each and everyone of us!….And God is not interested in your resume…..That is a “big day” - And its coming sooner then you realize….The “party ends” when we take our last breath
“The Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel”
People always “think” they have time to “get right” with God…..But in most cases…We die as we live….Very few people have “St Paul style conversions”…..And when we die - We do not die on our terms - With that said - We will not be judged on “our terms” either…..On the morning of September 11th, I took the train to New York City very early…My train let me off at the stop under the World Trade Center Towers around 7:00am in the morning…I got to my office and one hour later, a plane hit the building….The difference of one hour could have meant my life!….Now think about all the men who went to work that day…It was a beautiful September morning in New York City - I remember it like it was yesterday…Many of the men who died were EXTREMELY wealthy!…Bankers, lawyers, Stock Traders…These men had wonderful lives - Their families live BIG….All that came to an end in a matter of minutes!….For the people who died that day - No one saw it coming either - It was just another day living the “good life”….And for everyone that died - Each of them stood before the Lord - And they were judged…As we will be judged - As I will be judged!…This idea that “the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” presented to us today in the Gospel is REAL…Why? - Because the “party” ends…You will die and you will be judged - Like it or not….We never know the day or the hour - Are we ready?……JMJ
“The Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel”
