The Warning
Jesus Christ: Yesterday, Today, and Forever ~
In the Apostles Creed, a prayer we say at the beginning of the Rosary, we hear the words: “He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.” We hear it said again at Mass in the Nicene Creed: “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.” This is often referred to as The Second Coming.
At the end of our lives, all people regardless of their religion or lack thereof, will be judged by Jesus Christ and ultimately end up in heaven or hell. This is a frightening thought for many but not for all. If you read the lives of the saints you’ll notice that they don’t fear standing before the Lord – they long for it! For the rest of us, well let’s just say we still have work to do. Most people ignore unpleasant or scary things yet our final judgment is one of those things we shouldn’t ignore, but prepare for.
Down through the centuries many people, even saints, have related a moment in their lives, where by a supernatural grace from God, the Lord showed them their sins, the effect those sins had on others, and what would become of them if they were to die at that moment. This experience is a judgment in miniature, popularly known as an illumination of conscience. For the people who have been blessed to experience this, there was of course the terribly painful moment of judgment, but what followed was a profound conversion, and in many cases salvation, as in they would have been damned if they had died at the time of they were made aware of their sins and there effects. Their illumination of conscience sparked a profound conversion experience that led them to life saving repentance and amendment of life. Each of these people would easily identify this moment as the most painful of their life – and the most blessed!
Every Lent, Holy Redeemer Parish hosts small faith sharing groups. People like you sign-up to meet once a week for five weeks to share insights of faith from a book. The book we’re using this year is a condensed version of The Warning, by Christine Watkins. It is a series of short stories from people who have experienced the illumination of conscience that I refer to above. I have read the book and found it to be a powerful catalyst for conversion. The people in the book knew nothing of each other or an illumination of conscience before experiencing it. The experience profoundly changed their lives, some from never attending Mass and being enemies of the Church, to becoming daily Mass goers and evangelists for Christ. No honest person could read this little book and say these people are lying. This little book is so easy to read and convincing, that if you got copies and handed them out to family members who have fallen away from the practice of the faith, some of them might return – it’s that powerful!
There is a caveat about this book that might it make it hard for some people to believe. Almost all of the five people in this book, as well as quotes in the back of the book from others down through the centuries, claim that at a future unknown time, there will be a collective experience by everyone in the world, at the same time, of an illumination of conscience. I hope that is true. The whole world could certainly use a moment before God to turn their lives around. With that said, I make no statement one way or the other that there will be a worldwide judgment before your death or the Lord’s Second Coming, when everyone will be judged by him at the general judgement. You don’t have to believe that what the people in this book experienced will happen to you, although it will help to prepare, because in the end we will all stand before Jesus Christ and account for every sin we ever committed.
You can sign up for a Lenten small faith sharing group by going to our website and clicking on the Lenten Small Faith Sharing Groups button. Once you do, you can pick up your book at the office.
May the Lord Jesus Christ Bless You,
Fr. Thomas Nathe
What follows is taken from: The Catholic Source Book, Page 102. Rev. Peter Klein. Our Sunday Visitor. 2008
