“It is the last hour”

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

THESE words from the First Letter of St. John (2,18) should not scare us, but rather should make ever more realistic about the real purpose of our life, giving us an idea of what the dangers are and what God has provided for us to deal with those dangers and achieve that real purpose of our life.

In this particular verse, St. John warns us that a mark that we would already be in the last hour is that not just one but many Antichrists would already be around. Well, we are not sure if indeed we already have these Antichrists, but we can certainly say is that we are witnessing nowadays a number of religious demagogues and false prophets coming up. One even goes to the extent of claiming he is the very son of God.

We should not overreact to this phenomenon. In fact, we should expect it. But, yes, we should also be ready to identify these demagogues and to know how to deal with them. Somehow, we can detect them when we can see the following points:

• They often use manipulation, flattery, and emotional appeals to gain power, influence, or personal gain;
• They often use divisive language, scapegoating, or demonizing others to create an “us versus them” mentality;
• Their primary goal is to advance their own interests, power, or ideology.

But what we should focus more is how to prepare ourselves for the “last hour.” In this, what can help us is to develop a healthy spirit of what are called the “last things,” namely, death, then after death, judgment which would determine whether we go to hell or to heaven with purgatory as a temporary state of purification before one enters heaven.

The consideration of the “last things” can help us navigate our life here on earth properly. Far from giving us a dark vision of things, this consideration would actually enlighten us with respect to the real purpose of our life. It will give us a positive, constructive push in our earthly affairs.

In other words, the consideration of the Last Things gives us the proper perspective within which we have to see and understand every event and development in our life. It should give us a great sense of confidence, peace and joy.

We should not be afraid to make this consideration, since it does nothing but to make us very realistic about our whole life. As long as we continue to make some practical resolutions out the consideration of the Last Things, we will always be on the right path.

At the moment, we are afraid of death and we refuse to consider the importance that the considerations of judgment, heaven and hell have on us. We get so attached to the here and now that we become blind to our life beyond.

It’s a challenge that definitely invites us to live by faith, hope and charity, the theological virtues or gifts that God gives us so we can have basis for making our earthly affairs, our temporal concerns acquire an eternal, supernatural value.

These virtues are God’s ways of sharing what he has with us, such that what takes place in our life can actually participate in the life of God in whose image and likeness we are.

This ideal of a life of faith, hope and charity is made available to us through Christ who is the Son of God who became man, and who continues to be with us till the end of time through the Church in its doctrine, sacraments and hierarchy.