2 Peter 3:12-15, 17-18
Psalm 90:2-4, 10, 14, 16
Mark 12:13-17
There are a lot of movies that have a plot about the end of the world. Usually, the end is coming, and the protagonists must do whatever they can to prevent the world from ending. St. Peter sees it differently: he tells us to “wait for and hasten the coming of the day of God.” We are not merely supposed to wait for the end of the world, but try and speed up its coming as much as possible. We Christians are looking forward to the end of the world, because God is going to create a new earth and new heavens where righteousness will dwell. For us, the end of the world is not a disaster, but the very thing we have been waiting for for a long time.
So how exactly are we supposed to hasten the end of the world? By being ready for it. St. Peter says that God has been delaying the end of the world out of patience for us. From his perspective, one thousand years is like a day. So this two thousand year delay so far is just God being patient with us. We must not abuse this patience nor presume that it will last forever. The end of the world will come, perhaps soon, perhaps thousands of years in the future. Either way, we should be ready for it. If the whole world were ready, the end would come right away. We cannot control the whole world. We are only in control of ourselves. So we should do our part by getting ourselves ready for the end.
What does it mean to be ready? It means that when God comes, we will be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace. If the sky opened up right now and Jesus Christ appeared like lightning from one side of the sky to the other, what would he find us doing? Would he find us preaching the Gospel or wasting time? Would he find us serving the poor or serving ourselves?
When Jesus comes we will all be a little surprised, but we should not be absolutely shocked. He said that he would come back, and he always keeps his promises. Since this universe is merely a temporary home, we should not get too attached to it. When we see the end coming, we know that our permanent home is on its way.
Daily Homilies
