33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year B - 18th November 2018
Prophets of Doom and Gloom
A priest once approached Groucho Marx and thanked him for all the joy he brought into the lives of people. Groucho replied that he was grateful for all the joy the priest took out of their lives! This was the time when preachers preached doom and gloom to keep people on the right paths in life.
Death and Eternal Life
Life is like the four seasons, with some enjoying all four and departing in winter, while others may leave us in Spring, summer or Autumn. Some, may not even enter the cycle of life for one reason or another but may bloom and live in an eternal springtime (eterna primavera). No matter how long or short life is, there is a definite date yet to be written, as sure as the day of our birth, and that is the day of our death.
What happens after death - Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell?
So, after death comes judgment and then heaven or hell depending on how we try to live each day on earth. What about purgatory, the place of punishment? We know that God has no interest in punishing people. Purgatory is God’s love overwhelming us – a state of happy pain, lasting but a moment, just as a plane ascending above mist-laden clouds into clear blue skies.
Make your heaven or hell today
The day of judgment is each today. My final ‘yes’ will depend on how I say ‘yes’ to life, ‘yes’ to others and ‘yes’ to God today. So, instead of being a prophet of doom and gloom, why not become a prophet of joy by creating your heaven where you are, as you are and how you are today?
Fr. Michael McCullagh c.m.