New heavens and a new earth

WE have to be familiar with this truth of our faith, and develop the pertinent understanding and attitude towards it, as well as the due preparation for it. We are reminded of this truth in the first reading of the Mass on Tuesday of the 9th Week in Ordinary Time from the Second Letter of St. Peter. (13,12-15.17-18) 

 There, we are reminded of the end of time and of the world when the heavens and the elements of the world will be dissolved, and the new heavens and a new earth will emerge where true justice will reign as promised by Christ. We are asked to be so diligent as to be found before Christ unspotted and blameless in peace. 

 This is not, of course, to scare us, but rather to put us in the most realistic mode regarding what our life here on earth is all about. We are here in this life to be tested whether what God wants us to be, that is, to be his image and likeness, to be sharers of his life and nature, is also what we ourselves would want to be. 

 This test is given to us in every event and circumstance of our life, in every aspect, dimension and level of our life, to see if we choose to be with God or to be by ourselves instead. It’s really a no-brainer choice, but many of us miserably fail to make the right choice. 

 Let’s remember that this earthly life of ours is like a journey towards God in heaven. We do not have our definitive home here. Let’s hope that we avoid straying from the proper path which, as we are warned by Christ, is a narrow road with a small gate. (cfr. Mt 7,14) 

 In all our activities, let’s always be guarded against our strong tendency to just pursue our own will that is abetted by our own personal weaknesses, the many allurements of the world, and the tricks of the evil spirits. 

 These days with the strong and almost irresistible pull of the new technologies, we have to be most cautious of the many clickbaits in the social media that would lead us to many distractions and ultimately to our own destruction. There also are just so many sweet poisons that can easily deceive us, and the Trojan horses put up by some powerful people and worldly spirits. 

 We should not be naïve, and following the advice of Christ, we should truly be clever and shrewd like serpents even as we maintain to be innocent like doves. (cfr. Mt 10,16) Toward this end, we should be clear about what the purpose is in using these new technologies, and that can be no other than to give glory to God, always following his commandments as we use them. 

 We need to sharpen our awareness that these new technologies and everything related to them should be nothing other than a means, an occasion, a reason to be with God, to give glory to him. Outside of that understanding, we would just be playing with fire, and it would just be a matter of time before we will be overcome by evil in one form or another. 

 It’s important that we avoid getting entangled with our worldly and temporal affairs, failing to relate them to God and to the expectation of the new heavens and a new earth!