In the creed we profess our belief that Jesus Christ, risen from the
dead and ascended into heaven and seated at the right hand of the Father,
will come to judge the living and the dead. A few decades ago Christians
of all denominations often thought of and prepared for the judgment of
Christ. They tried to follow God's law and the way of the Gospel because
all would render an account at the time of death. Christ Himself said
that He will come with His angels and reward everyone according to his
deeds (Matt 16:27). Not only this, but Our Savior described the Last Judgment
in very precise terms in Matthew chapter 25. Almost all the parables of
Jesus warn us to be ready for God's judgment. Much contemporary discussion
of what is morally right or permissible almost ignores the fact that we
will be judged by Christ. He did all that was necessary to save us by
the greatest love, but He warns us that those who reject His teaching
bring a judgment and condemnation on themselves (John 3:16-21). The ultimate
reason for this judgment is that God is goodness itself, pure and absolute
holiness and justice. Sin is a useless and destructive use of our freedom,
time, and energy in doing what is opposed to this holiness and justice.
Because we have free will, even if it is limited and damaged by original
sin, we can go against God's Will and the holiness of His being. Ultimately
all sin is an act of idolatry against the first commandment; it puts something
in the place of God. It is inevitable that Christ, who gave us forgiveness
and grace and the promise of salvation, must separate the good from the
bad, the sheep from the goats. This happens once at the hour of death,
when we meet Him in all His holiness, truth and love, and again at the
mysterious last judgment of the world, when God's judgment and truth are
known to all who have ever lived. Jesus tells us to be ready. Being ready
is what our human life is about.
Quotation for Meditation:
One day we too shall be resurrected and placed before the awful white
throne. Everything on which we formerly leaned, behind which we formerly
hid will disappear. All camouflage, trenches, arms. All earthly guards
and allies. All rights, honors, works, successes and anything else that
has helped us to avoid the truth. All these will fall away, vanish under
the penetrating ray of the Judge. We ourselves shall wonder whether we
still really exist. No place will be found for our poor being. The same
Power that created us will weigh us to see how much of us actually is,
for genuine existence is possible only through truth and justice, faith
and love; our existence, then, will be appallingly questionable. We shall
feel ourselves being undermined by nothingness, sucked down towards the
void. Only our naked conscience will stand before God's gaze. May his
mercy sustain us in that hour!
Romano Guardini - The Lord - p. 521
Quiet Time and Then Discussion
Questions for Group Meditation and Discussion
1. Do you sometimes think of the judgment of God?
2. Does this thought have any effect on your life?
3. Do we at times remind others who are doing what is wrong of the judgment
of God?