We have arrived at a perfect storm of sorts, friends. The pandemic and its isolation, seasonal affective disorder, daylight savings time- induced depression because it’s pitch black at about 6:00 pm now, Zoom meetings, you name it. Add in political ads and all the partisan turmoil raging around us, and it’s amazing that people are as happy and balanced as they are. But the fact remains that the end of the year does not have the same easy optimism and hope as spring or summer. Perhaps it is for all these reasons that the end of each liturgical year focuses our minds on the end of days and the four last things: death, judgement, heaven, and hell.

Before we commence the season of Advent and begin preparing our hearts for the coming of the Savior, we pass through the dreary last few weeks of ordinary time that give us not the good shepherd or the prodigal son, but people being locked out of the wedding feast and wailing and gnashing of teeth. It is not the side of Christianity that we typically focus on, but to lose sight of it entirely is to miss out on something essential to what we believe. From the very early days of Christianity there has been an emphasis on waiting for the end of this world so that a new one can begin. It is the ancient cry of “Maranatha!”, which means “Come Lord Jesus!” that we turn our hearts to now.

I am writing this post just after having done
my civic duty by casting a vote across the
street from St. James, and it’s hard to escape
the fact that while we should (hopefully) know the results of these elections by the time you
are all reading this, there is something we should keep in mind all along. In a few weeks we will celebrate the Feast of Jesus Christ,
King of the Universe. It stands as a stark
reminder that all power in Heaven and on
earth has been given to Him, and all who seek
to exercise power in this life are only doing so because it has been granted to them for a time. We are still obligated to participate in the laws and responsibilities of our nation, but we are only here for a time, and our primary goal is to do everything with eternity in mind. If you are elated about how the elections turn out, know that it will all pass away. If you are broken and miserable at the results, this too shall pass.

It would be easy to chalk up the last few weeks of the year to a pessimistic vein that runs through the Church and to say that we should be more positive, and what have you. But that misses the point, because in the face of an absolute inevitability, it does not make any sense to refuse to acknowledge it, because it will arrive nonetheless. The Church draws our attention to the reality of death and the end of all things because we ignore it at our peril. Moreover, it is only once we have embraced the fact that our time here will end that we can fully and truly embrace the hope and power of the Resurrection. As we enter into November, a month traditionally set aside for praying for the souls of the faithful departed, and draw close to the end of the liturgical year, let us take time to reflect on our priorities in light of the fact that one day we will pass away. If we are willing to pray through this harsh reality, we can come to a deeper understanding of God’s love for us, and the life he has prepared for us in His Heavenly house.
 
Prayers always, Fr. McC