The solar eclipse which happened April 8 did not bring about the much anticipated and highly desired end of the world, and I am saddened but relieved by the fact.

If the world had ended when I thought it just jolly well might on that day, would I have been ready to meet my Savior? Would I have been ready to enter Heaven with Him and His angels? The question almost answers itself. Of course not.

The truth is, I would not be ready and I doubt I ever will be ready. Therein lies the paradox. If I may never be completely holy–in other words a saint–before the coming Redeemer, I might as well wish His Second Coming now. But then, wishing it so, I instantly become aware of my own moral and spiritual deficiencies, and so do not want Dies Irae to come too soon.

The only logical and Catholic thing to do is to watch and pray. We know that our Lord will come as a thief in the night. We know that we must be on our guard against temptations to sin and that we must keep ourselves preserved from the stain of sin by daily washings through spiritual confession and acts of contrition. Not only this, we must also enter into a more profound spiritual life wherein we feed on the spiritual food and drink, the Word of God, since Eucharistic nourishment is not possible now.

I still believe that the coming of Christ is near. I am no prophet. I may be wrong, as I am wrong about so many other things, as I was wrong to believe in my heart that the total solar eclipse was some kind of sign of the second Advent.

To the question of whether the sun and moon will be darkened before the coming of Christ, Saint Thomas Aquinas answers in the affirmative:

“If, however, we speak of them in respect of the time immediately preceding the judgment, it is possible that by the Divine power the sun, moon, and other luminaries of the heavens will be darkened, either at various times or all together, in order to inspire men with fear,” (Summa Theologica).

However, this darkening that is to precede the Parousia is not in fact a natural eclipse!

“According to astronomers the sun and moon cannot be eclipsed at the same time. But this darkening of the sun and moon is stated to be simultaneous, when the Lord shall come to judgment. Therefore the darkening will not be in very truth due to a natural eclipse,” (Summa Theologica).

Still, it seems that Aquinas is loosely assigning necessity of simultaneity of darkening of luminaries because, if the sun and moon and stars are darkened “at various times” they are not darkened simultaneously. Nor am I exactly sure what sense it makes to say the sun and moon cannot be eclipsed at the same time if by eclipse we mean darkened. They can be darkened at the same time, because when a solar eclipse happens, you do not see the moon or the sun.

Still, I take it as authoritative that the sign preceding the Day of Judgment will not in fact be a solar eclipse but something much worse and more terrifying. Besides, eclipses do not inspire fear so much as wonder, and this darkening is supposed to inspire dread not dreams.

But I return to the idea of being ready for that dreadful day of the Lord. If, as I have said, I will doubtfully be ready to receive Him in perfect grace, how will I or any of us who are yet imperfect (I speak of affection to sin which is venial, not mortal sin, which is spiritual death and hopelessness after death if not repented) be ready on the day of Judgment?

The answer lies in the fact that the Church teaches that that day will be immediately preceded by an all-consuming fire which will cleanse the earth.

“This fire of the final conflagration, in so far as it will precede the judgment, will act as the instrument of Divine justice as well as by the natural virtue of fire. Accordingly, as regards its natural virtue, it will act in like manner on the wicked and good who will be alive, by reducing the bodies of both to ashes. But in so far as it acts as the instrument of Divine justice, it will act differently on different people as regards the sense of pain. For the wicked will be tortured by the action of the fire; whereas the good in whom there will be nothing to cleanse will feel no pain at all from the fire, as neither did the children in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3); although their bodies will not be kept whole, as were the bodies of the children: and it will be possible by God’s power for their bodies to be destroyed without their suffering pain. But the good, in whom matter for cleansing will be found, will suffer pain from that fire, more or less according to their different merits,” (Summa Theologica).

If I am imperfect–and I pray that I am preserved from mortal sin from this day to that–God will wash me with a cleansing fire, thereby making me acceptable to Him. The upside to this teaching is that, if we work to cleanse ourselves every day, work on the little things like patience and kindness, active and sympathetic listening, guarding our eyes against lust or our tongues against speaking ill of our neighbor, there is no need to feel a single sting of pain from our flesh being seared off our bones.

The idea that the world will be burned up at the end of time is intriguing and thought-provoking. What kind of fire could burn up the entire world? Surely it must be a Divine fire, one which is not of this world but some other powerful supernatural conflagration which has heretofore never been imagined let alone seen–or must it?

“Consequently others, following Augustine, say that ‘just as the deluge resulted from an outpouring of the waters of the world, so the fashion of this world will perish by a burning of worldly flames’ (De Civ. Dei. xx, 16). This burning is nothing else but the assembly of all those lower and higher causes that by their nature have a kindling virtue: and this assembly will take place not in the ordinary course of things, but by the Divine power: and from all these causes thus assembled the fire that will burn the surface of this world will result. If we consider aright these opinions, we shall find that they differ as to the cause producing this fire and not as to its species. For fire, whether produced by the sun or by some lower heating cause, is of the same species as fire in its own sphere, except in so far as the former has some admixture of foreign matter. And this will of necessity be the case then, since fire cannot cleanse a thing, unless this become its matter in some way. Hence we must grant that the fire in question is simply of the same species as ours,” (Summa Theologica).

Clearly Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas teach that this fire at the end of time will be a natural fire but which comes by way of Divine power, just like the waters that destroyed the world were natural water, from the sky and sea.

But where would these natural substances with a kindling virtue come from? One place scientists are looking for fuel for burning is the cold lunar surface of all places. There will possibly be a space race to the moon again to harvest a rare and powerful isotope of helium that can be used to power artificial suns which are already sprouting up on the earth like wild sunflowers. And it has long been thought theoretically possible, though improbable, that a nuclear reaction could burn down the house.

Whether nuclear powered artificial suns or world-wide nuclear war or perhaps a solar flare or an atom smasher brings on the flames of Armageddon, one thing is certain, the world will burn before the coming of the Lord.

Will you be ready?

PSLAM 96

Dominus regnavit. All are invited to rejoice at the glorious coming and reign of Christ.
 
For the same David, when his land was restored again to him. The Lord hath reigned, let the earth rejoice: let many islands be glad.  Clouds and darkness are round about him: justice and judgment are the establishment of his throne.  A fire shall go before him, and shall burn his enemies round about. His lightnings have shone forth to the world: the earth saw and trembled. The mountains melted like wax, at the presence of the Lord: at the presence of the Lord of all the earth.

The heavens declared his justice: and all people saw his glory.  Let them be all confounded that adore graven things, and that glory in their idols. Adore him, all you his angels: Sion heard, and was glad. And the daughters of Juda rejoiced, because of thy judgments, O Lord.  For thou art the most high Lord over all the earth: thou art exalted exceedingly above all gods. You that love the Lord, hate evil: the Lord preserveth the souls of his saints, he will deliver them out of the hand of the sinner.

Light is risen to the just, and joy to the right of heart. Rejoice, ye just, in the Lord: and give praise to the remembrance of his holiness.