- Feb 5, 2002
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In the 1970s, an old man with disheveled white hair sat in front of the White House holding a sign that read, “Repent, the end is near.” After fifty years, joking about the end of the world is less carefree, as anxiety quietly creeps in. The end is indeed near for many of us inching toward the top of the actuarial tables.
Reasonable fear recognizes threats in proportion to the danger. It impels us to flee or confront danger depending on the circumstances. At times, it is prudent to keep our heads down. At others, we courageously jump from the foxhole and charge ahead.
Fear of suffering—fear of serpents, plagues, and other punishments—repeatedly brought the Israelites back to their senses as they wandered the desert. Jesus Himself dreaded the prospect of His Passion in the Garden, yet He courageously carried His Cross in obedience to the Father. He also describes the end times to help us persevere in the faith.
A healthy and proportionate fear of the end times—and of our individual demise—keeps us “sober and alert.” One day we will stand before God for our Particular Judgment. The details of our life will pass before us, with God as our infinitely just Judge. There will be only two eternal destinations: Heaven (usually delayed by the purifying fires of Purgatory) and Hell.
The Church teaches that, before Christ returns, the Church will face a final trial involving a great spiritual deception led by the AntichristL a false messiah who exalts humanity in place of God. After this, Christ will come again, raise the dead, judge all souls, and renew all creation.
Continued below.
Reasonable fear recognizes threats in proportion to the danger. It impels us to flee or confront danger depending on the circumstances. At times, it is prudent to keep our heads down. At others, we courageously jump from the foxhole and charge ahead.
Fear of suffering—fear of serpents, plagues, and other punishments—repeatedly brought the Israelites back to their senses as they wandered the desert. Jesus Himself dreaded the prospect of His Passion in the Garden, yet He courageously carried His Cross in obedience to the Father. He also describes the end times to help us persevere in the faith.
A healthy and proportionate fear of the end times—and of our individual demise—keeps us “sober and alert.” One day we will stand before God for our Particular Judgment. The details of our life will pass before us, with God as our infinitely just Judge. There will be only two eternal destinations: Heaven (usually delayed by the purifying fires of Purgatory) and Hell.
The Church teaches that, before Christ returns, the Church will face a final trial involving a great spiritual deception led by the AntichristL a false messiah who exalts humanity in place of God. After this, Christ will come again, raise the dead, judge all souls, and renew all creation.
Continued below.
