Our hope of immortality in Christ gives meaning and joy to our mortal life (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Preparedness for the end does not consist in just waiting for something to happen, but active involvement in being able to welcome it as it comes (Matthew 25:1-13). Hope in death
One issue that Timothy, as Paul’s emissary to the Thessalonians, must have brought back to him in Corinth for answer concerns the welfare of those “who had fallen asleep”—a euphemism for death. Paul preached to them earlier that all of them would be witnesses to the parousia, to Christ’s imminent final coming in glory. They have come to believe that the Lord will return in their lifetime. Meanwhile some of their members have died; what about them, how would these who are already gone enjoy the second coming? Will they miss out? Or were some questioning the authenticity of the faith of the deceased, or the reliability of the new life they had? Was there still among them some hopelessness about death, as was common among unbelievers to whom death is the end of everything?
Paul does not want his dear brothers and sisters in Thessalonica to be grieving over the dead like other people who have no faith and, therefore, no hope. He wants them to be very clear that on the basis of their faith in Christ’s resurrection, there is an intimate union that exists between the risen Lord and those who are joined to him in faith. At the second coming of Christ those already dead will be raised and they will be with the Lord forever. On the strength of the word of the Lord, Paul is certain that these will be in an even more blessed position than those still left until the coming of Christ because they will be raised first, and only then will the living be taken up to join them in meeting the Lord in glory.
To be with Christ in glory
Christ’s resurrection is not an isolated event, but the beginning of the end time. Because Christ has been raised and thus conquered the power of death, his followers will be raised, too, although the general resurrection will happen only when he returns. Then it will be God’s final victory over sin and death. On the cross, that victory was already definitively won, but the powers of sin and death over humankind will be destroyed only at the parousia when the dead will be raised.
Paul uses the imagery from the apocalyptic tradition of Israel in describing the final events. Clouds, angels, and blasts of trumpet usually signify a theophany or some divine manifestation; everything beginning with a mighty word of command, God’s triumphant word, voiced by an archangel. Paul’s real concern is not the poetic and mythological details of the final victory in the parousia, the description of the indescribable, but the mystery that all believers, living and dead, will live together with Christ forever.
Staying awake
The virgins in the parable were part of the bridal procession to fetch the bride home. They were waiting for the bridegroom who would lead the procession to the marriage festivities. The whole point is on their degree of preparedness in anticipation of the arrival of the groom. All brought torches, and all fell asleep—for which they were not reprimanded. The big difference is in their preparedness. Half of them made provision for possible delay on the part of the bridegroom; half did not. It was their responsibility to be ready at any time.
The end-time is symbolized by the banquet (Matthew 22:1-12), a metaphor for eschatological fulfilment (Isaiah 25:6). The waiting in darkness for an event to happen without knowing exactly when it will occur is, likewise, an eschatological feature. Also, the ultimate and unalterable segregation of those excluded from the banquet is clearly an end-time element. The virgins who would not share their oil with those who did not have foresight were not censured, because what is required for admission to the banquet obviously cannot be loaned or given by someone else. One must procure it oneself.
Alálaong bagá, it is as we acclaim in every Eucharistic celebration: “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.” Belief in Christ’s parousia is central to Christian faith. And He can return any moment to inaugurate the general resurrection of the dead and, therefore, the final communion of all the faithful with Him. As we approach the end of the liturgical year, our attention is directed to this inevitable event. We are sure it will happen, although we do not know when and how.
When do we truly realize that we will one day die? Is death a loss? Do we have to die first before we realize what death really is? A Christian is one who believes that she/he shares in Christ’s victory over death when he comes again. That is why the Christian’s concern is, learning from the past, how to live fully in the present with an eye to the future—ready for the coming of the Lord by providing extra oil and prepared for life’s night watches and paradoxes.
Join me in meditating on the Word of God every Sunday, 5 to 6 a.m. on dwIZ 882, or by audio-streaming on www.dwiz882.com. Visit me online, http://alalaongbaga.multiply.com.
