READY FOR THE END OF TIME? 
 
In my homily last week, I made a short reference to the "end of time" in the context of the outbreak of the coronavirus. At the end of Mass, one parishioner asked me to clarify my statement that we should be ready for the end of time, and whether I could give more information on the Church's teaching on the end of time. My main point in the homily was that we should always be ready for the end of our individual time on earth (whether our natural death or the end of time for everyone together) and that is why regular confession is so important. I did not plan to say much about the end of time itself, but it is clearly a topic of interest to many.
 
Some people have tried to interpret the unprecedented closing of churches for nearly three months as well as the growing rejection of God in our modern society as trials and possible signs from God that the world as we know it may come to an end sooner rather than later. When I asked the question: "Are you ready for the end of time?", I did not imply that the end of time was coming very soon  but that WE SHOULD ALWAYS BE READY because the end of time could happen any day. Jesus made it clear when he said:
 
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the Angels in heaven, nor the Son. But only the Father. Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come." (Mark 13:31-33).
 
Jesus also talked about the trials and tribulations that might precede his Second Coming at the end of time: 
There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations ... for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then, they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory... When you see these things taking place, you know that the Kingdom of God is near... Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away."(Luke 21: 25-33).
 
Since the fall of Adam and Eve, there has been a continuous battle between good and evil, at the individual level (within our own hearts) but also at the cosmic level (heaven and earth). Though Jesus Christ conquered death by his resurrection, the devil is still active in the world and "only on Judgement Day, at the end of the world, Christ will come in glory to achieve the definitive triumph of good over evil, which, like the wheat and the tares, have grown up together in the course of history" (Catechism of the Catholic Church - CCC 681). This triumph of Christ will not come about without one last assault by the powers of evil (CCC 680).  In this last assault, the Church will pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers, and the supreme religious deception will be that of the Antichrist, a pseudo-messianism by which man glorifies himself  in place of God and of his Messiah come in the flesh" (CCC 675). 
 
While there is no doubt that evil powers are at work in our modern, secularized world, nobody can testify that we are now in this last assault by the devil that is a sign of the second coming of Christ, that final victory of good over evil at the end of time. Only God knows that day of final judgment. It does not matter whether it will be tomorrow or in 1,000 years. What matters is that we should be ready any time to be called back by God, whether it is our natural death (accident, sudden illness, or old age) or the end of time. 
 
To help you prepare to be ready, I invite you to begin Monday July 13, the 33-day preparation of your consecration to Jesus through Mary following the footsteps of St Louis De Montfort, St John Paul II and St Teresa of Calcutta. You will find below LINK on how to do it. We will conclude those 33 days of preparation with the formal consecration on Saturday August 15, Feast of the Assumption.
 
I strongly encourage you to offer this 33-day preparation to Our Lady so that she can help the entire Church, including yourselves, in defeating the evil powers actively at work in the world. The good news is that Our Lady, our mother in heaven, is always there to protect us and to lead us to her son JESUS. The good news is that Jesus is always seeking us. As the Son of God, HE became man to save us. He is now at the right hand of God the Father in heaven and is the one who will judge us on the last day.
 
Jesus loves all of us and his greatest desire is that we can be with Him for ever and ever. The only thing we need to do is to respond to His Love by desiring to stay with Him (opposite of rejecting Him through our sinful actions) and to ask for His forgiveness and promise to change with His help when we fall to temptation (Sacrament of Reconciliation). The Consecration to Jesus through Mary will help us to transform our spiritual life and to stay always close to both Jesus and Mary. It will help us to respond to Jesus' constant invitation: " COME TO ME, all you who labor and are burdened, and I WILL GIVE YOU REST.”  In the current challenging situations our world faces today, we all need that peaceful rest in the arms of Jesus. Once consecrated to Jesus through Mary, Mary will constantly lead us to Jesus and help us find rest in Him.
 
Come Holy Spirit! Come! Always guide us and make us obedient to your advice!
Come Holy Spirit! Help us to persevere through these 33 days of Consecration to Jesus through Mary! 
Come Holy Spirit! Come! Help us to be ready for the day of our judgment at any time! 
 
One in Christ,
Fr. Alain

For the 33 Days of Preparation Prayers, click here. 

To download the prayers in pdf, click here.