Reflecting on the Four Last Things
By Fr. Isaiah Schick
During this time of year, the Church in her liturgy and prayer takes time to reflect on what has often been called the “Four Last Things”: Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell.
As the “dead” of winter draws nearer and nearer, and as the liturgical year draws to a close, the facts of our mortality in our fallen state and of the Second Coming of Christ in glory at the end of the age come more easily to our minds and hearts. Advent, coming up soon, also picks up the theme, as we reflect on the First Coming of Christ at Christmas and pray for his return, while inviting him to come into our hearts here and now (especially by way of repentance in the confessional and by way of communion in the Eucharist!).
If you are looking for EXCELLENT explanations of the Four Last Things, I would refer you to FORMED.org (you can have free access through the parish – you can contact the parish office if you need help registering for a new account) and their series “Eternal Rest: The Art of Dying Well”: https://app.formed.org/app/collections/770628
Whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s, and it would be well worth our while to not let the opportunity go by to find out how to make every moment of our life, and the moment of our death, be filled with the grace of Jesus Christ in preparation for eternal life with him in heaven, which is our goal.
May all the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.