In today’s First Reading Paul calms the first Christians who have been hearing rumors that the Day of the Lord is near, the day when Our Lord will return as Judge and the world as we know it will end. Every Christian believes that some day not only death will come, but also that one day the world as we know it will end. That can provoke a healthy fear or an unhealthy fear, a healthy hope or an unhealthy hope.
A healthy fear makes us realize that while we’ve done what we can, we could have always done more, and we must continue trying until the end. Perseverance in doing the good and the holy is essential, and we can never completely rest on our accomplishments. An unhealthy fear is that the return of Our Lord will be doom for everyone and everything. A healthy fear is that not everyone welcomes the Gospel message before the end, which is why we must continue to share the Gospel. Every moment before the Day of the Lord is a moment we can make it a joyous moment for one more soul on that Day.
A healthy hope is that if we believe and are faithful to Our Lord’s teachings we have nothing to fear upon his return. His mercy will make up for our shortcomings. An unhealthy hope is abusing of his mercy thinking we can do the minimum and still be found worthy when it matters. Let’s live our Christian lives with a healthy hope and a healthy fear, knowing that whenever Our Lord returns that will be sufficient.
Readings: 2 Thessalonians 2:1–3a, 14–17; Psalm 96:10–13; Matthew 23:23–26. See also 28th Week in Ordinary Time, Tuesday and 21st Week in Ordinary Time, Tuesday.