This week’s readings from Scripture call to mind what are called the “end times” of the apocalypse. They present images generating distress, horror, disgrace, and tribulation as the mighty powers in the heavens are shaken. But, the gospel assures us, that’s when humanity “will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds’ with great power and glory.” The “end times” of the apocalypse shouldn’t cause distress, horror, disgrace, or tribulation but eager anticipation of the arrival of the Son of Man.
When “crib Catholics” hear these readings, those awesome images generate fear if only for the reason “crib Catholics” know deep in their hearts that their life-long, “minimalistic” approach to the Catholic faith and its practice is about to be fully revealed. They’ve heard for years if not decades and know full well what the “signs of the times” portend: When the Son of Man “comes in the clouds with great power and glory,” the Final Judgement—when “all will be revealed”—has at long last arrived. All of those failed intentions over the years to strengthen one’s faith and its practice will matter not one bit because now isn’t the time to make promises but to be held to account, as the virtue of justice requires. “Crib Catholics” fear the “end times” of the apocalypse because they know they’re going to be exposed for loving themselves more than they loved God and neighbor and living the dream they had for themselves not the dream God had for them.
In short: “Crib Catholics” know they’ve wasted the life God entrusted to them…there’s no return on the investment. They’re going to be banished from the Kingdom just like the servant who feared investing his one talent and buried it, offering no return on his Master’s investment in him (Matthew 25:14-30).
In contrast, when “crucifix Catholics” hear the same readings, the otherwise awesome images generate feelings of eager anticipation, if only for the reason “crucifix Catholics” know deep in their hearts that their life-long, struggle to live the Catholic faith and practice it will soon be revealed in the “end times” of the apocalypse. Similar to “crib Catholics,” they’ve heard for years if not decades and also know full well what the “signs of the times” portend: The Son of Man is “coming in the clouds with great power and glory” and the time for the Final Judgment—when “all will be revealed”—has at long last arrived. But, in contrast to “crib Catholics,” the intentions of “crucifix Catholics” to strengthen their faith and its practice—imperfect as those intentions may have been—“crucifix Catholics” don’t fear the truth being exposed. Why? They sought to live the truth and personally have experienced God’s mercy and love.
In short: “Crucifix Catholics” didn’t waste the life God entrusted to them…there’s a return on the investment. They’re to be praised just like the servant who invested his five talents and the one who invested his ten talents returning their Master a 200% return on his investment in them (Matthew 25:14-30).
As these reflections concern us, for the past thirty-two weeks of Ordinary Time those of us whose good intention was to become a “crucifix Catholic” attempted to live what was introduced as a “high-road” faith. Each morning of each week we reflected upon our baptism and made the decision to serve others in thirty-two different ways, for example, seeking to “entrepreneurs of charity” and “good shepherds” by strengthening spiritual capital in others. We’ve attempted to listen to God speak to us in unexpected ways and to live God’s dream for us. Most importantly, knowing that we’ve botched things up most days during the past thirty-two weeks, we’ve personally experienced God’s love and mercy through the Sacrament of Penance which has strengthened us to keep plodding along the “Way,” as the early Christians called living the faith. For this reason, we don’t experience fear at the coming “end times” of the apocalypse but eagerly anticipate the coming of the Son of Man. We can’t wait to hear him say of us and all those we’ve loved this year, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things….Come and share your master’s joy!” (Matthew 25:23).
In the “end times” of the apocalypse, “crib Catholics” will learn—to their utter and complete astonishment—that God didn’t expect much of them. Not one of them had to return a whole lot, just a decent return on God’s investment in them. Utterly astonishing as this learning will be, they’ll also learn that of the little others did have and did give lavishly and generously to others in their need—what may be their very feeble attempts to be “crucifix Catholics”—God rejoices in them!
The substantive lesson for us: being a “crucifix Catholic” isn’t a matter of being 100% perfect but of offering a decent return on God’s investment in us. However, not understanding God’s divine logic and spending out days “thinking not as God does but as humans do,” we live in fear of the “end times” of the apocalypse and hearing it said of us, the Son of Man said of St. Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You’re an obstacle to me. You’re thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” Then, turning to his disciples, he said:
Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. After all, what profit would there be for anyone to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay each according to his conduct. (Matthew 16:21-27)
All that’s expected is to take up the cross each day and follow where Jesus leads us.
So, how did you hear and receive today’s readings? Did they portend something ominous or auspicious? Did they induce fear or joy? Or...absolutely nothing?
To the degree the readings portend something ominous and induced fear, take heart!
Why?
We’ve missed the “good news” and God is challenging us today to reassess our commitment to the Catholic faith and its practice because, after all, time hasn’t run out…yet!
That represents this week’s challenge from scripture: To assess our faith and its actual practice over the past thirty-two weeks honestly—what’s called conducting an “examination of conscience.”
For thirty-two weeks we’ve looked forward to how we might leave behind the swaddling blankets of our “crib Catholicism” and embrace the difficulties, trials, and suffering associated with “crucifix Catholicism.” Now, as the signs of the times of this Church year portend the “end times” of the apocalypse of this Church year are nearing, it’s time to look back over and review the past thirty-two weeks to pinpoint where we’ve fallen short.
Identifying “why” we’ve fallen short isn’t important because the reason is the same for each and every one of us: We’ve loved ourselves more than we’ve loved God and neighbor. Instead, the details are what’s important because they identify those weak points—the Achilles’ heel—of our moral and spiritual lives.
For most of us, those weak points can be categorized in a couple of buckets. Identifying those buckets reminds us of our need of a savior who can raise us up—having fallen down along the “Way”—and can assist us to continue walking along the “Way” as our Achilles’ heel strengthens, especially as we contemplate those buckets and pray:
Lord, help me to be strong so that I will standing before the Son of Man.
Then, when the “end times” of the apocalypse arrive on the Solemnity of Christ the King, we will experience something auspicious that generates joy and thanksgiving in us not something ominous that generates fear and shame. We may not have achieved perfection, but eagerly anticipate hearing the Son of Man’s judgment upon us:
Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things….Come and share your master’s joy! (Matthew 25:23)
With the “signs of the times” auguring the “end times of the apocalypse, this week let our commitment be to live in the way we heard in the gospel verse:
Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to stand before the Son of Man.
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