As we move toward the end of the Liturgical Year, our attention is turned to the “end times;” that moment when Jesus will come back and take us to Himself. The scene as it is described in this Sunday’s Gospel is surreal and terrifying:
“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.”
But the outcome is glorious:
“And then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in the clouds’ with great power and glory, and then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky.”
We spend a fair amount of time getting ready for things – the holidays, a wedding, a vacation, a move, and so forth. The scripture for this Sunday and those of the early days of Advent challenge us to get ready for Jesus’ return in glory. How shall we prepare? By our full participation in the sacramental life: Mass, Eucharist, and Reconciliation. By our full commitment to Gospel living (“love God and love neighbor” as we heard a couple of weeks ago!).
Jesus is coming back, and we have everything we need to prepare for that day. May we pray and work now so that what we will experience on the last day will be nothing less than glorious!
Welcome to the Saint Aloysius! Our parish was founded in 1896 to serve the Catholic families that were settling in the greater New Canaan area.