Message from Fr. Ron 11/5/2010

I Believe...in the Resurrection of the Body and the Life Everlasting...
When was the last time you remember receiving instruction on the last things or the eschaton as used in theology? The line in the title comes from the Apostle’s Creed. The Nicea/Constantinople Creed also states the same thing by saying, I look for the resurrection of the dead... These are articles of faith that we profess. Because we profess them we should know what is meant by them. Why does that matter?
First, ought we not know and be able to discuss with a non-believer what our future hope is? Secondly, ought we not know something of the last things so that we have a better picture of how we ought to be living in the present? These things certainly mattered to Matthew, Mark and Luke as well as the apostle Paul and the Fathers of the Church. It was so important it was included in our creeds.
The calendar of the Church through the appointed lessons for Sundays is moving toward Advent and in Advent by introducing Biblical themes that point us toward the last things such as death, judgment, heaven, hell.... While the classical consensus isn’t quite so clear, there nevertheless is a predominant view. Understanding the last things is important because it helps us orient our lives now. What we do and the decisions we make now prepare us for the moment when Christ asks us for an accounting. We live and practice saying yes to God now. Over the next several weeks, I will be using the sermon to teach on the last things. If you come, you might just learn something about this most important article of the Creed beyond what popular novels seem to teach. There really is a reasonably clear (although still shrouded in much mystery) catholic teaching.