Every year, many of us would celebrate the new year to remember and give thanks to God for all the blessings of the past year and also take the opportunity to pray for a good year ahead. But today’s readings and Gospel seems to give us a different way of how Christians should celebrate the new year. What is this different way all about? This different way is that we celebrate the new year not by looking to the past or to the following year but to focus on the end of time or on the end of the world. It seems strange for us to focus on the end of time, so why should we do so, since some may find the end of time a not-so-pleasant topic?
Today’s Gospel appears to give us a frightening picture of the end of the world: “There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars; on earth nations in agony, bewildered by the clamour of the ocean and its waves; men dying of fear as they await what menaces the world, for the powers of heaven will be shaken.” For some, such natural disasters may seem scary or frightening, but science has shown us that such natural disasters mean that the earth is growing and evolving, which are signs of life instead of death. Planets that no longer have such natural disasters like earthquakes, storms, or volcanoes have no life, in other words, they are dead. Jesus gives us examples of such natural disasters to describe the end of the world and tell us that something new is about to take place. This means that, from this point of view, we should see the end of the world as a celebration of hope instead of fear.
Some of us may be wondering: when and how will all these take place? When and how is not important, but what we should do in preparation for such an event should be our focus. To begin with, even if there is confusion in our lives, even if things don’t go according to plan, nobody should lose heart, as Jesus reminds us: “When these things begin to take place, stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand.” Also, we may be tempted to run away or look for excuses or other solutions when faced with problems and challenges in the world, but we should instead watch ourselves and stay alert and ready, as Jesus reminds us: “Watch yourselves, or your hearts will be coarsened with debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life, and that day will be sprung on you suddenly, like a trap.” Moreover, we must “stay awake and pray.” This means that we must take our spiritual growth seriously, as St. Paul in the second reading urges each and every one of us to continue growing in our faith life.
So what does this mean to us? It means that we cannot rest on our laurels and think that we have plenty of time to grow closer to God. Instead, we should be consistent and persistent in our efforts to grow in our spiritual life and in our relationship with God and with others, as St. Paul advises us in the second reading: “We urge you and appeal to you in the Lord Jesus to make more and more progress in the kind of life that you are meant to live: the life that God wants, as you learnt from us, and as you are already living it.” May we do our best and stay alert and prepared, with hope and confidence that God will be our providence and guide.