You would think that with all our scientific advances and technological know-how, people would immediately brand pursuits such as fortune telling as irrational and foolish. There is just no way to accurately predict the future 100%, and deep down inside, every sensible person knows this. Despite this, countless people spend an immeasurable amount of time and money on the latest manghuhula, “visionary”, or feng shui master. All this is driven by a need to be forewarned – if we knew what was coming, we could prepare for it and take the necessary measures for a favorable outcome.
We don’t need a crystal ball to know this: it is guaranteed beyond question that one day we will all die. As members of Christ’s Church, however, we believe that death is our entryway to eternal life. Given this, a “favorable outcome” would naturally be to go to God’s heavenly kingdom.
While it is true that our Savior will return “like a thief in the
night”, as today’s Gospel describes, perhaps we should focus more on
the certainty of his return rather than the uncertainty of the exact
time. Because we know for sure that our mortal lives will one day come
to an end, we should already be preparing for what comes next. All the
steps are outlined in Sacred Scripture and in Church Doctrine, so
there’s really not much mystery involved.
