Queen of Apostles Church

The End No More

By Carlos Londono                                                                                        Seminarian at St. Francis de Sales Seminary, Wisconsin

As we approach the end of the present liturgical year, our attention is drawn to the idea of "the end":  the end of times, the end of life.

First of all, we are more familiar with the reality of the end than what we think.  Every day we experience small endings: the end of a task, the end of a conversation, the end of the day as we go to sleep.  We usually give little thought to these small endings, however, they witness to the fact that ending is part of our daily lives, of our very existence.

There are other bigger endings: the ending of my dog's life, the ending of a friendship or a romantic relationship, and even greater ones - witnessing the end of a close friend or relative's life...or preparing for the end of one's own life.  These endings involve pain and loss: it feels as if one's own heart has died a little bit.

For us Christians there is good news!  Jesus transformed "the end" into a new "beginning".  He Himself faced the ultimate end: death.  However, death did not have the last saying for Him, but rather He conquered death as He was raised by the Father: He lives!  Thus, the greatest end, death, was not an end anymore.  Instead, it became the gate of new life!

Christians, there is hope!  Our lives as believers are marked by serenity and hopefulness.  We do not fear the end anymore, whatever form it might take.  We know for certain that any end means new life.  Death, loss, departures, detachments - they are all like seeds planted on the ground...they die to live!  And to give much fruit!

Let us therefore embrace the small and big endings in our lives with hope, courage, and serenity.  Let us be certain that our redeemer lives; therefore, no end has power over us anymore.