The path to the truth

Are you aware that the Church runs on its own calendar, called
the “liturgical year?” Never heard of it? Well, maybe every church
should have a big, falling glitter ball that hangs in the sanctuary so we
could all count down the final minutes of the liturgical year a little
more visibly!
The liturgical year always begins in November or December on
the first Sunday of Advent, several weeks before January 1. The
most important feature of the church’s calendar is that every Sunday
has its own Scripture readings, specifically chosen to fit that day.
Each year as we get closer to the end of the liturgical year, as the old
year winds down, you’ll notice that the readings echo this by talking
more and more about death and the end of the world. In fact, it
seems that these days the whole culture, Christian and non-Christian
alike, are pretty much taken up with talking about the possible “end
times.”
Some of the theories are pretty wild. Remember the Heaven’s
Gate group who thought that God was coming in the Hale-Bopp
comet, so they made a suicide pact, believing that they would all be
reunited on another planet? There have always been people
throughout history who have claimed to know the date that the world
is ending, urging people to flee to the mountains, or take their money
out of the banks – and so far, not one of them has been right!
Our readings from Scripture, this weekend, tell us a different
reality about death and the end times. Our Gospel tells us to stay
awake because we do not know the day nor the hour. However, if we
truly do everything we have to do conscientiously and without
anxiety we have no need to fear those words of Christ.
Also, our quest is not a solitary quest. We are all here for each
other. So we must prepare together to meet the Lord. We must
encourage each other with words of faith, so that our resolve is
strengthened and we take full responsibility for all of our actions. In
this way we truly choose the Kingdom!
Thus, rather than being frightened by the possibility of our
exclusion from heaven, we will be encouraged by the invitation we
have already received. We will also have the assurance that so many
who have gone before us in faith are already enjoying the wedding
feast of the Lamb! The path to the truth may be a painful struggle,
but, as in Christ’s own example, it is truly the path to healing and
wholeness!