End of the world

A young lector at mass, who was reading from the Scriptures to a large congregation for the first time, nervously blurted out: "This... this is the end of the world" And the congregation chorused: "Thanks be to God"! The nervous lector should have said, "This is the end of the word.

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Today we reflect on the end of the world. Many people have been asking, "Father, is the world about to end?" "And why should it about to end?" I replied. "It's because of the plagues, the earthquakes, famines, global warming, climate change and others. These are now happening in our country and in the world?"

During Christ's time, people were gravely perturbed and asked the same question. But Christ tells us not to be frightened.

Jesus douses cold water on all speculations and predictions of the end, stating, "As for that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father" (Mk 13,32).

The end of the world, however, happens when we die and are judged immediately after death. And that's what we call particular judgment.