ARE WE WORRIED OF THE SECOND COMING? - 7/26/22 (Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary)

Matthew 13:40-43

“Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send His angels, and they will collect out of His Kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear.”  

For the full readings, click here: 

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/072622.cfm

For more information on St. Joachim and St. Anne, click here:

https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/july-26st-anne/

For the examination of conscience and guide to confession, click here:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/examination-of-conscience/

For more information on how to pray the rosary, click here:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/the-most-holy-rosary/

Blessed Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne! We believe that our Lord Jesus Christ will come again at the end of the age. There will be a time of judgment for the whole world. This is a glorious day, the day that we are all awaiting for. His second coming is an article of our faith, and it is essential to our belief as Christians. But, why are we worried about His second coming? And, what are we worried about? There are at least three things that we may be worried about. 

First, we may be worried that we may not end up in heaven. Even if we are in the state of grace, we may be afraid that we might end up in hell. Why is this the case? When we acknowledge our weaknesses, we may be afraid that we will fall again to our grave sins. It's good and pleasing to our God to be humble. However, our Lord is reminding us that perfect love casts out fear. There is an unhealthy fear where we are afraid of even our slightest mistakes as if we cannot enter heaven. But, we are called by our Merciful Savior to trust in Him always and to depend more on His strength rather than our own strength. This is why Jesus tells us that the righteous will shine like the sun in God's Kingdom. Our God is telling us to have hope in Him, and as such, let's always beg for the grace of holy perseverance. And, even if we fall, let's repent and renew our love for Him especially by going to the sacrament of confession, the Mass and through prayers. 

Second, we may be worried about other people, especially those who are close to us. We have the desire for them to accept the gift of salvation from God. Because of this, we may be saddened when we see other people to mock our faith, our devotions, even mock the Body and Blood of Jesus in the Eucharist. We may be offended and feel hurt when we see how the world is not listening to the Word of God and when we hear people saying numerous blasphemies to our Lord. Let's remember that the second coming of Christ and the judgment are invitations for us to find hope in His mercy. May we not fall to despair for ourselves or for other people. If we are able to come back to Jesus by His grace even after our sinful past, this means that we can have the hope for even the worst sinners. Although it's true that not everyone will choose and enter heaven, this is only applicable to the most hardened sinners who will continuously reject God, even at the last moment of their lives. What we can simply do is entrust everyone and everything to God and continuously pray for the conversion of sinners. Our prayers will not be in vain because even if the most hardened sinners reject such graces from God, others are more open to accept them. 

Lastly, we may be worried that the second coming may not take place. Why do we entertain such thoughts? When we see that the evil works and sins seem to be spreading, we may feel as if goodness will never triumph. But, these are just temptations from the devil. The truth is that we have assurance that our Lord Jesus Christ will come again because of His love for us. When we encounter these temptations, let's immediately turn to God, reject such thoughts in our prayers, and express our faith, hope and love for Him. May we reflect as to why we entertain such lies from the devil, and may we take this as an opportunity to deepen our confidence in Him. May we imitate the Blessed Virgin Mary, the daughter of St. Anne and St. Joachim, whose faith remained even after witnessing the death of Christ. After Jesus suffered, He rose from the dead in His glorified body. In the same way, after the persecution of the Church, the Church will be glorified as the righteous will rise again with Christ. Let's persevere in our prayers for us to attain the promise of Jesus for us and His Church.

Amen +

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic