The message of today’s first reading is that the powers which stand against God will be destroyed and the eternal Kingdom of God will be given to his faithful people. The great prophecy of the triumph of good over evil was fulfilled in the death and resurrection of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. But what Our Lord accomplished two thousand years ago is still being unfolded and won’t be completed until the very end of time when Our Lord will come again in glory to hand over his Kingdom to the Father.
Today marks the end of the current liturgical year. The season of Advent begins tomorrow. This is a time for us to consider the ultimates of human existence, namely death and the end of the world. For many people thoughts as these will be terrifying. Many refuse to even think of death and they fear the end of the world. We shouldn’t think like this because the message from the readings of this entire past week has been one of great hope and confidence.
For a person without faith the prospect of death can be frightening and the end of the world a bleak anticipation. But our faith tells us that Our Lord will be there to help us through the awesome dark doors of death, to lead us into heaven. Our faith also tells us that the end of the world will be the final triumph over evil and on that day we will share fully through our own resurrection in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
And so today let us thank God for our faith and for the gifts he has already given and still promises us in the life to come.
Dum Tacet Clamat 