The words of the prophet Malachi
presents a striking,
and perhaps terrifying,
picture of the world’s end:
“the day is coming, blazing like an oven,
when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble,
and the day that is coming will set them on fire.”
But this blazing day that is to come
is not simply one of fiery judgment
on proud evildoers;
for those who fear God’s name,
that same dawn will bring
“the sun of justice with its healing rays.”
The day to come is the same dawning
for both the proud and the humble:
the same sun of Justice that rises,
the same light that lights up God’s creation,
the same warming rays that stream upon the world,
but with two very different outcomes:
some will burn and some will shine.
The sun of justice reveals the difference
between those souls grown dry through sin
and those that have been watered by grace.
For the arid and brittle hearts of the proud,
the sun of justice will be a threat,
but for those hearts that honor God
as the very source of their existence—
those who have drunk in
the living waters of God’s love—
the rays of the sun of justice
are the source of light and life,
lighting them up and making them live,
like the morning sun falling
on the fresh green leaves of spring.
between those souls grown dry through sin
and those that have been watered by grace.
For the arid and brittle hearts of the proud,
the sun of justice will be a threat,
but for those hearts that honor God
as the very source of their existence—
those who have drunk in
the living waters of God’s love—
the rays of the sun of justice
are the source of light and life,
lighting them up and making them live,
like the morning sun falling
on the fresh green leaves of spring.
We refer to this sort of biblical writing,
as well as Jesus’s words in today’s Gospel,
as “apocalyptic.”
And they certainly offer what we today
typically associate with the word “apocalypse”:
fires blazing, buildings collapsing,
wars and insurrections,
earthquakes, famines, and plagues.
But all these things are, we might say,
apocalyptically incidental,
for the word “apocalypse” in Greek
means not “disaster” but “unveiling.”
An apocalypse is the unveiling
of events to come
in which the truth of our lives
will itself be unveiled to ourselves and others.
As St. Paul says of the return of Christ,
“He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness
and will manifest the motives of our hearts” (1 Cor 4:5).
Or, to quote the band the Mountain Goats:
When the last days comeWe shall see visionsMore vivid than sunsetsBrighter than starsWe will recognize each otherAnd see ourselves for the first timeThe way we really are (“Against Pollution”).
The words of Jesus and the prophet Malachi
are apocalyptic not simply because they speak
of the coming day of God’s consuming fire,
but also because they speak of the day
when the dawning sun of justice
will unveil our hearts and reveal
who it is that we really are,
who it is that we have made ourselves.
The apocalypse—the bringing to light
of what was hidden in darkness—
is disaster for the dry and brittle
but healing for those who
have immersed themselves in God’s love.
are apocalyptic not simply because they speak
of the coming day of God’s consuming fire,
but also because they speak of the day
when the dawning sun of justice
will unveil our hearts and reveal
who it is that we really are,
who it is that we have made ourselves.
The apocalypse—the bringing to light
of what was hidden in darkness—
is disaster for the dry and brittle
but healing for those who
have immersed themselves in God’s love.
But the apocalypse doesn’t wait
for some future cataclysm.
The truth of our lives is unveiled
in the midst of those lives.
While Jesus speaks of how
“awesome sights and mighty signs
will come from the sky,”
he goes on to say that “before all this happens
they will seize and persecute you.”
Those who claim the name Christian
will be led before the public authorities
to give “testimony”—
those who claim the name Christian
will be called to unveil their hearts.
And in this unveiling, as in the final judgment,
the truth will be made manifest,
and the line will be drawn.
Jesus tells us that when we are called
to give testimony,
we should not recite
some carefully crafted statement
that is sufficiently nuanced
to offend no one,
to deflect the potential ire
that threatens to fall upon us,
to talk our way out of speaking the truth.
Rather, he says that he himself
“shall give you a wisdom in speaking.”
He will put the words in our mouth
that will bear witness to him
and to the truth of our lives.
He will tear away the nuance and evasion
of words with which we veil our hearts,
and the world will see who we really are.
The day is coming
when we will be called to bear witness,
and none of us knows the day or the hour,
so we must live our lives and bear our witness
as if that day is this day.
And it is this day.
The day on which the sun of justice dawns
to ignite those grown dry and brittle in their pride,
and to illuminate those who fear the Lord,
making them radiant with his healing light,
is this day.
Every word we say this day,
every work we do this day,
every encounter we have this day
ought to bear witness to the truth,
ought to give testimony to Christ.
when we will be called to bear witness,
and none of us knows the day or the hour,
so we must live our lives and bear our witness
as if that day is this day.
And it is this day.
The day on which the sun of justice dawns
to ignite those grown dry and brittle in their pride,
and to illuminate those who fear the Lord,
making them radiant with his healing light,
is this day.
Every word we say this day,
every work we do this day,
every encounter we have this day
ought to bear witness to the truth,
ought to give testimony to Christ.
Often the best indication that the words we speak
have been put into our mouths by God
is the degree of discomfort
we feel in speaking them.
When we tell others
of the love of Jesus that is in our hearts,
even in the face of scorn and ridicule,
God’s wisdom is in our mouths.
When we speak through actions
that show the Spirit’s fruits
of love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, and self-control,
amid a world that prizes
bluster and self-seeking,
anger and domination,
God’s wisdom is in our mouths.
When we the Church speak up
for the human dignity
of the unborn and the dying,
or of the poor and the outcast,
or, as the US bishops did this week,
of those threatened by government policies
of indiscriminate mass deportation,
God’s wisdom is in our mouths.
This wisdom may make us squirm,
but the truth we speak will be our salvation.
have been put into our mouths by God
is the degree of discomfort
we feel in speaking them.
When we tell others
of the love of Jesus that is in our hearts,
even in the face of scorn and ridicule,
God’s wisdom is in our mouths.
When we speak through actions
that show the Spirit’s fruits
of love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, and self-control,
amid a world that prizes
bluster and self-seeking,
anger and domination,
God’s wisdom is in our mouths.
When we the Church speak up
for the human dignity
of the unborn and the dying,
or of the poor and the outcast,
or, as the US bishops did this week,
of those threatened by government policies
of indiscriminate mass deportation,
God’s wisdom is in our mouths.
This wisdom may make us squirm,
but the truth we speak will be our salvation.
The apocalypse is here.
The truth is even now being unveiled.
If we are to feel the healing rays
of the sun of justice
and not the fire that consumes,
we must let God’s wisdom water our hearts,
so that we may speak it before the watching world.
And may God, who is our merciful judge,
have mercy on us all.
The truth is even now being unveiled.
If we are to feel the healing rays
of the sun of justice
and not the fire that consumes,
we must let God’s wisdom water our hearts,
so that we may speak it before the watching world.
And may God, who is our merciful judge,
have mercy on us all.
