THE VISION OF THE FUTURE.

What we read in the first reading (Daniel 12:1-13) is part of a vision of the prophet Daniel concerning the end of time. It is remarkable because it contains the earliest statement of belief in the resurrection of the dead, and the first mention in the bible of ‘everlasting life’.
Today’s Gospel Reading (Mark 13:24-32) gives us a timely message about the end of the world. Jesus tells us that nobody knows when the end will come except the heavenly Father. About the end of time, we should be hopeful rather than fearful. This is because God made us for salvation, not for damnation. The Lord says: My plans for you are peace and not disaster; when you call to me I will listen to you. (Jn 29:11, 12, 14). Many people in the world today have claimed to know when the end of the world will come. Some claim a special revelation from God and or Mary, and others claim to have calculated it from the scripture. All these claims should be ignored. Jesus tells us in the Gospel of St. Luke “The coming of the kingdom of God does not admit of observation…and they will say to you, ‘Look here! Look there’! Make no move; do not set off in pursuit… Lk 17:20-23. However, Jesus did not announce his Second Coming to frighten people but to give them courage that is why he invites us to be watchful; ‘Be on your guard, stay awake, because you never know when the time will come’ Mk 13:33. Again He invites us to rejoice and to hope, ‘When these things begin to take place, stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand’. Lk 21:28. Jesus invites us to wait for him full of hope and joy, since our trails will soon be over. Let those who refuse the salvation that Jesus offers be afraid: they have good reasons to fear both, their own death and the end of the world. We should not be disturbed by whatever may take place when the world is destroyed, even if it were to take place within our own life-time. Let us only make sure that when Jesus comes, he may find us faithful at his service. The life of a Christian is a continuous waiting for Christ’s coming but our waiting should not be an idle waiting, each of us must be on the work God entrusted to us in this life. Our waiting should be a joyful one, since the Lord will soon be coming to give us our real reward.