for real?
"Let everyone heed what he hears!" —Matthew 13:43
Jesus has clearly and repeatedly revealed to us that:
- The world will end (Mt 13:39, 40). "The present heavens and earth are reserved by God's word for fire" (2 Pt 3:7). "The heavens will be destroyed in flames and the elements will melt away in a blaze" (2 Pt 3:12).
- After the world ends, all will be judged. John stated: "I saw the dead, the great and the lowly, standing before the throne. Lastly, among the scrolls, the book of the living was opened. The dead were judged according to their conduct" (Rv 20:12).
- The judgment will be everlasting damnation or eternal life. "The angels will hurl" all evildoers "into the fiery furnace where they will wail and grind their teeth. Then the saints will shine like the sun in their Father's kingdom" (Mt 13:42, 43).
These realities are so overwhelming that many people:
- refuse to think about them,
- pretend that these things won't happen, and
- deny these things because they don't fit into their mindset.
In these ways, we join in the brainwashing of ourselves. We think that if these realities are not in our brain or on our mind, then these realities are not. Nevertheless, what we choose to ignore still exists, and we destroy ourselves by our vain attempt to escape from reality.
Face reality, or be crushed by it as it falls on you (see Mt 21:44).
Prayer: Father, may the reality of Your saving love open me to face all reality.
Promise: "Remember not against us the iniquities of the past; may Your compassion quickly come to us, for we are brought very low." —Ps 79:8
Praise: St. Peter taught: "Christ's birth was not necessity, but an expression of omnipotence, a sacrament of piety for the redemption of man."
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Robert L. Hagedorn, December 4, 2001
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, December 10, 2001