Whenever we seem really dejected, one of our loved ones might console us with the words: “It’s not the end of the world.” This weekend’s readings, however, predict a literal end of the world at some unspecified point in the future. And it seems like a grim prospect. The prophet Malachi speaks of God burning up sinners in a fiery furnace. And Jesus tells us that it will be ushered in by earthquakes, plagues and famines as well as great wars and persecutions. In order to be saved, he warns his disciples, they will need the virtue of endurance.
But, really, this is only half the story. I’m sure most of us appreciate this world—and our lives here—as amazing gifts from God. Naturally, we’re reluctant to think about losing those. And no one likes the prospect of being judged and, perhaps, found wanting. But Malachi and Jesus are also trying to tell us that there’s a bright side. Yes, this world will end, but then God can make a new and better one. Yes, we have to leave this life behind, but that’s the only way to take up the new and everlasting life of the Resurrection. If we are mainly invested in the things of this world, then we might pass away with it when it goes. It that’s the case, we really do have something to worry about. But, if we are truly invested in sharing life and sharing love with God and with each other, then we have nothing to fear. Something better is waiting for us on the other side.