Is the End near? Understanding 'End of the World' Sayings within its Background and Purpose

Is the End near?

The answer would be conditional, because it will depend on the preparedness to recognise/ realise the Word in us and in the whole of creation.

If the world was created through the Word, and moves in the Word, it also will come to its actualisation in the Word, and through the Word. We cannot be sure that the catastrophes we see are signs of this completion. They are calamities in relation to human experience. Similar and more powerful ‘catastrophic’ events happen every moment as natural processes in the universe. These cosmic events are the shaping moments in the wisdom of the design of the Word through which even the life forms have emerged. These processes make the diversity of things each fulfilling the Word in their own way. Perhaps all creation together may recognise the presence of the Word within.

Does this realisation necessitate the cessation of creation? I do not feel so.

(Logos_Word_Christ)

Today, many are concerned about the end days. 

If it is in the next hour, let it be. 

But we must know that it is not just these days people have spoken about the end days. Whenever there is a time of crisis people tend to identify it to be sign of the end times, and use apocalyptic language to give some meaning to the phenomena which are difficult to explain. Apocalyptic prophesies have a history, and they have influenced history politically more than spiritually. Better to have a cultural and social analysis of these than a spiritual one.

These following works may be of help to understand some of them: 

Paula Clifford, A Brief History of End Time: Prophecy and Apocalypse, Then and Now

Arthur H. Williamson, Apocalypse Then: Prophecy and the Making of the Modern World
Martha Himmelfarb The Apocalypse: A Brief History 

It would be interesting to consider this too: Michel de Nostredame was an astrologer and writer of Renaissance Europe. But Nostradamus as we know today is a creature of the modern West and today's interpreters of his writings. He was a healer of souls of his time, and he used the language of a prophet, as some reviewers of his writings like to put it.

__________

If we take the Hindu thought on Pralaya, it is not just a tragic flood, it is the well dissolving process where everything comes to rest after the rta is broken. It could also be a well dissolving into the true purpose of the Word.

A Malayalam version of this note is available at അന്ത്യങ്ങൾക്ക് ഒരു അന്തമുണ്ടാവുമോ?

Christian (identity, heroism, or living)?

It is of no doubt that we face in our generation a deep identity crisis. There is a search for an identity mark to which we can attach ourselves. Perhaps it is because we are not able to find a self within ourselves; it is shattered, fragmented, socially imprinted or branded.

Attaching ourselves with an ideology, culture or religion we might look for an identity. Making sure that these structures are well protected becomes very important, because it provides us something of what we are. Is that totally wrong? May not be completely! It can help if we are able to find the essence above the structures and modalities. If the latter is the focus, all our aim will be for preserving them which must be mere means, not the end. Replacing of means with the end actually forms extreme views in us because it demands a protective mode.

We can observe the extreme tendencies in different faith traditions as polarised activism, all believing that they offer worship to God. They can be seen as distorted responses to postmodern crisis, which offers a sense of identity, belonging and purpose.

Another form of extremism is withdrawal. We have the beautiful word ‘asceticism’ in whose pretext we can escape from the challenges of the world. This modern trend should not be mistaken by making parallel with monastic asceticism of medieval time. What we need to look into is whether these attitudes really become a sign, a living inspiration to the wounded world, even if they are able to make impressions and promote pious sensation among the likeminded. Being present to the world amidst struggles, with all humility and courage, we must be ready to tell the world that we don’t have all answers to the problems of the world, but placing our hope we join Christ in searching for them.

We can move away and counter everything in the world which we term evil trends. In every trend there sobs a quest. The Bible shows many conscientious heroes who kept their purity, detaching themselves from gentile company and food. We may be identified as person of fire/ spirit but the actions done serve only our desire for work fulfilment. Overenthusiasm and emotionalism need to be faced with prudence and selfcontrol, otherwise they might bring damage than growth.

Jesus did not become a hero in any of the above mode. He was gentle and humble of heart. He asked us to live our life in the freedom of the children of God. He gave us the spirit. Being patient with ourselves and our dreams, gradually spirit works within, and we find ourselves healed and strengthened.

As social beings we do belong to forms and structures of society, and so also of religion. But they are to point towards human fulfilment. These glorious structures and modalities of religion, institutions and movements may be wrongly attached as identity marks which creates in us a conscientious hero. We must humbly allow new forms to emerge, rejoice at the sight of the Lord in the new blooms.

Do we make attempts to personalise the attitudes of Jesus, and patiently go through a process of Christification? Or do we simply attach ourselves to a religious structure? We may be more concerned about how purely we are Catholic, how authentically we are eastern or western, how strict we are in our pious observations, or how meticulously we seek to find a proud relation to the Bible in making use of Hebrew names and titles. What is our focus? Our emphasis shows where we are rooted. Immediately we must warn ourselves if we find that we offer worship to our identity marks, not to God. Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking [it is not extreme forms of piety and emotionalism, it is not well conducted number of events, it is not becoming isolated special ‘pure’ Christian, it is not idolatrous reverence to the Bible], but it is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

When Cult Begins to Stagnate, and Prophets become Rebels

A witnessing Christian life is an integral sum of pious, prophetic, and mystical dimensions of Christ encounter.  This was the very thing that differentiated Christianity from the cultic dominance of jewish practices. Some recent spiritual practices have constrained people to the cultic dimension alone. All the more it is disastrous when new tendencies limit priesthood to this cultic function. The Christian tradition follows the priesthood of Christ, not that of Aaron. Cults can have the forms of ritualism or of exercise of authority, both of which have manipulative power. Christ asks us to be a community of witnesses, whether priests or laity according to our call, making up his body. A romanticised view of priesthood and church as something external to common faithful is actually damaging our vision of the church.

We cannot be totally mystical, we need touch with the sacred in the real world in human expressions, and need to respond to the call of the time. Cult might dangerously resist this response to time, and pathetically begin to stagnate. We cannot have the holy, holy, holy experience in incense, altars, vestments… without a mystic orientation towards the Holy, and without being mindful of the human cry expressed in different social trends. Without the other two, prophetism may end up as rebelliousness or intolerance.
It may be appropriate to reflect on our reactions to various issues on the following lines: we are challenged and troubled by many things, nut are we ready and open to experience the consolation of the Holy Spirit? Are we ready to be placed on the Cross of Christ? In our responses do we think with the Church? It is important because we are standing for a life-giving community of humanity whereas the struggle for the success of mere ideologies find their ends in themselves.

Thomas, See my wounds

St John  wants to tell us the truth of life that the Word was made flesh. He presents the gospel as a journey, a journey of revealing, and of recognising.

If Christ is seen first in a manger in other gospels, we find him here, along with his family and friends, in a neighbour’s house.

Now the journey begins with the cleansing of the temple which really means of a time when worship will not be on this mountain and that mountain, but in spirit and in truth.

Some join him on the way but also with their doubts. Some also bring others to him.

In the words of Thomas, “let us go to die with him (Jn 11: 16),” the way receives a new dimension on the path of the disciples. The way is life-giving, the way is of life-giving. Though he said, “let us go,” later he asks Jesus, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” (Jn 14:5).

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” (v. 6)

            It is the connecting thread to whole of the journey! Wonderfully Thomas brings this journey into its climax. Thomas was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” (Jn 20: 25)

One week later, Thomas was with them when Jesus came, and he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; look, here are my hands. Give me your hand; put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving any more but believe” (vv. 27, 28). Thomas replied, “My Lord and my God!” 

The Word was made flesh, and took the pain of  humanity “empty of love, empty of goodness, empty of life” What are those wounds he is inviting us to place our hands on other than the wounds of the wounded ourselves and humanity?

Coming in contact with him we manifest before him our own wounds and humiliations. All must walk this way. Family at Cana with their empty jars, shame and tears, temples and worships yet to be perfected, unstable Simon, Andrew, Philip, Nathanael and Nicodemus who had their own reservations about the Messiah, Samaritan woman who suffered rejection and had no one to belong to, paralytic waiting for the angel to stir the waters, man born blind who suffered the condemnation of the society, all must walk this way, though not knowing what it means, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” All must hear this too, “Thomas come here…”

But the mystery is the presence of Word made flesh, the Logos, in and among us! The presence of the Risen Lord is not external to us, but within and among us making his body. There are wounds, and also the same invitation, “come here, put your hand here, and believe.” Wounds may be of the church, of humanity, of creation and a touch is called for. Our response to these wounds may be a moment of our own experience of being healed, loved and valued. So it involves both personal encounter and recognition of Christ.

My God and my Lord