Countdown

Then they asked Him, “Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to take place?” Luke 21:7

All three of the Catholic readings today, Revelation 14:14-19, Psalm 96, and Luke 21:5-11, are about the end of the world. I suppose this is because we are approaching the liturgical season of Advent. 

One night I had the strangest dream about of all things, the end of the world. There was a giant computer screen in the sky that everybody around the world could see, and a woman’s automaton voice was warning of the coming apocalypse. The screen was filled with swirling masses of gas, and a countdown, and lots of other changing images. The strange thing was almost no one was minding it. We were in an amazing theme park, and even if people could hear the countdown, people were running around trying to find the most exciting ride, the best blockbuster attraction. People were laughing, talking to each other, pulling each other to and fro. 

Isn’t that a picture of what’s happening in the world? In the Bible, there are several warnings about the end of the world. It may not happen to everyone at the same time, but for each and everyone of us, the end of the world will come. My neighbor, the one who gayly waves at me from across his car and gives us gifts every Christmas, his end of the world came and I I will never see him again in this side of the world. So many we have been praying for healing from Covid 19 went ahead of us. 

We live our lives as if there is no end in sight. But there is a countdown for each of us as surely as there was a visible one in my dream. No doubt God wants us to enjoy ourselves in this beautiful world He gave us, BUT He reminds us to live bearing in mind what is important. “Be serious and sober-minded so you can pray. Love one another intensely. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. Use your gifts to serve others. In all things, may God be glorified.” (1 Peter 4:7-11)