THROUGH UNTRUE

In today's Gospel reading, Jesus foretells the signs that precede the end of the world and His triumphant return. "In those days after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky and the powers in the heavens will be shaken" (Mark 13:24).

People have long speculated when doomsday will occur. Yesterday, while I was cleaning my room, I happened to see some old newspaper clippings. One of them, dated 1999, was a column written by the late Fr. James Reuter, SJ. He wrote about a lady who predicted that an 11.7 intensity earthquake would hit Manila in the year 2000, causing massive destruction and the death of nearly all its inhabitants. Well, it's already 2021, and we're still here.

The Aztec Calendar Stone, carved from solidified lava in the late 15th century and found in 1790 under the central square of Mexico City, set the end of the world on Dec. 24, 2011.

In 1993, Terence and Dennis Mckenna, foretold that the world would end on Dec. 22, 2012. They based their prediction on their study of fractal time and the Chinese calendar I Ching (The Book of Changes). A Hollywood film was produced in 2009, creating panic among many moviegoers because of the graphic portrayal of the global cataclysm that would happen in 2012.

Let's face it. We fear the end of the world because we are afraid to die. We think that the end time means our total extinction. And we see it this way because we cannot envision the future in terms that are different from what we have been accustomed to. We regard the unfamiliar with distrust.

In other words, we look at the future from the perspective of sameness. We want a future that preserves our idea of life, although prolonged to infinity. Despite centuries of Christianity, we have not yet fully understood what a priest says during every funeral: "Lord, for your faithful people, life is changed, not ended,” which echoes the message of 1Corinthians 15:51-53.

Our Lord Jesus Christ reminds us in today's Gospel reading that the last word in death is not fear or despair, but hope. That is why St. Paul wrote: “No eye has seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered the heart of anyone, what God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). Making ourselves worthy of what God has prepared for us is our lifetime task. Who would not want to be redeemed from our sinfulness and be worthy of eternal salvation?

Sadly, consumerism has somehow dimmed our idea of eternal bliss in heaven. Many of us no longer take seriously the meaning and value of Christ's offer of redemption. We prefer to be redeemed from poverty, aging, wrinkles, bad breath, dandruff, obesity, body odor, and the afflictions brought about by the current pandemic. We spend our time trying to deny, avoid, prevent, or ward off these inevitable consequences of being mortal.

The world has an expiration date. Our life has a definite limit. But there is no use in asking: “When will the world end?” or “When will I die?” The crucial question to ask is, “What am I doing the rest of my life?”