Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish

FR MICHAEL BIBLICAL IMAGERY

(Fr Michael Boakye Yeboah: Vice Rector of St Gregory Seminary, Kumasi-Ghana)

AL FINE

            Al fine is an Italian phrase which means “at the end.” It is a common idiom in the music world but I would like to deploy it with spiritual nuance. I use it specifically in line with Dante Alighieri’s famous book “Divine Comedy.” At the end, will one be at Paradisio, or purgatorio, or inferno? As we go about our daily works we need to pause and reflect on “al fine.” One certainty in life is death and this, no one can change it, whether a saint or sinner; rich or poor, white or black, doctor or patient, the witch or the faith person, etc. – all will die. But the question is when we die, where will we end up? Paradisio, or purgatorio, or inferno?

            Today’s first reading and Gospel paint a picture of end-time signs enabling us to get informed and be ready when that day comes. The Gospel regarding the end of the world is unusually multifaceted. Instead of merely reporting the coming event, it unites various aspects whose unity is not apparent to us. First, imagery of cosmic catastrophe is employed to announce the sufferings of the end times, then comes the proclamation of the arrival of the Son of Man to judge those assembled by the angels, an assembly which, oddly enough, includes only the elect. Next Jesus refers to the signs by which one can recognize the approaching end, followed by the signs of its imminent arrival, only to emphasize the fact that the exact day is not recognizable, since only the Father, not even the Son knows it.

            The end-time signs presented by St. Mark and Daniel can be fearful and heartbreaking to the prepared and the unprepared. To the unprepared that day will be terrible and there will be no room to escape the punishment his/her sins have warranted. Personally, I think this Gospel account should not give cause for fear and panic but should serve as a wake-up call for repentance and change of life. What I see in today’s world is indifference especially on the part of some of our youth. They are living their lives as if the world is built on the Marxian philosophy of “dialectic materialism”. They may have not read Karl Marx but some of them are living as if their world is built on the philosophy of Karl Marx and other atheist philosophers.

            The prepared are encouraged to deepen their faith in Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father in the power of the Holy Spirit. In the midst of all these warnings, Daniel tells us in the first reading that some people will be saved and the saved will be those whose names are found in the book of life. How can you find your name in the book of life? As a baptised Christian your name is already in the book because on the day of your baptism you were fully incorporated into Christ. But your name will be removed if you fail to meet up to the expectations of Christian living. Basically, two things are expected of a Christian. First, the first five commandments of the decalogue should be observed and lived. Secondly, the moral and ethical demands of the last five commandments should be the basis of one’s life. And in keeping all these, the only way to the book of life should be through Christ, our Lord. One should also remember that “your body should always be the temple of the Holy Spirit.” Are you ready to go by this way? If so then don’t panic when you hear that the end is here, for your name will be found in the book of life and you will be secured.