Dominica VI quæ superfuit post Epiphaniam - The Four Last Things (Judgement)

PRESENTATION: Standing before the Judgement Seat

At every traditional Requiem Mass, the ancient hymn known simply by its first two words is chanted, the Dies Iræ. It was penned by Pope St. Gregory the Great in the sixth century, and is said to have been divinely inspired. In that hymn we hear these words:

Death is struck, and nature quaking, All creation is awaking, To its Judge an answer making. Lo, the book, exactly worded, Wherein all hath been recorded, Thence shall judgement be awarded. When the Judge his seat attaineth, And each hidden deed arraigneth, Nothing unavenged remaineth. What shall I, frail man, be pleading? Who for me be interceding, When the just are mercy needing?

While death may be a fearsome reality to us with its painful seperation of soul and body, what should truly inspire us with a holy fear is the thought that we must stand before the Judgement Seat of God and render an account of all we have done, and all we have failed to do.

Even the saints trembled in anticipation of the sentence that would be passed on them by God. As the Psalmist writes in the 142nd Psalm, “[E]nter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight no man living shall be justified.

Abbot Agathon, one of the Desert Fathers became greatly fearful as the end of his life approached, the brothers asked him, “Why should thou be afraid, reverend Father, thou hast led so pious a life?” To which he responded, “The judgements of God are very different from the judgements of man.” Indeed, anyone who does not have a salutary fear of God’s judgement either does not understand this reality, or has never seriously considered it.

Two intimate friends agreed together that whichever of the two should die first should, if permitted by God, appear to the survivor. When after many years one of the friends died, faithful to his promise, he appeared to his friend with a sad and dejected countenance, saying: “No man knows! no man knows! no man knows!” — “What is it that no man knows?” his friend asked. “No one knows how strict are the judgements of God, and how severe His chastisements!”

Imagine for a moment a criminal who was not only brought before the court, and not only judged for his crimes, but stripped bare before all those assembled, how much shame and embarrasment he would feel. Now imagine yourself standing before the judgement seat of God, with all the hosts of angels looking on as your whole lifetime of misdeeds is read out, and not just your wrongdoings, but your thoughts and words, and even your evil propensities, those secret movements of the heart to anger, impatience, revenge, hatred, envy, pride, vanity, sensuality, sloth, greed, selfishness, avarice, worldliness, and the list goes on.

EXPLANATION: The Just Judge

Before we are called to stand before the Dread Judgement Seat, we must remember too, that it is no ordinary judge who will be passing judgement on us, if we are to meditate on the judgement of God, then there are six things we need to keep in mind.

First, unlike an earthly judge, our judge is omniscient, nothing can be concealed from Him, and He cannot be deceived.

Second, our judge is not only omniscient, but omnipotent, nothing can withstand Him, and no one can escape from His judgements.

Third, our judge is not only the most just judge, but exercises the strictest justice, to Him sin is so hateful that not even the slightest transgression will remain unpunished.

Fourth, we know that God will not only be our judge, but also our accuser, whose anger we have provoked and who we have offended time and again, and He will defend His honour and avenge every insult against it.

Fifth, we know that the sentence, once pronounced, is irrevocable. Unlike an earthly trial there is no appeal to a higher court, complaining about the sentence will be useless, it cannot be reversed, and whether adverse or favourable we must accept it.

Finally, and most powerfully, when we go to stand before our judge, we can never know for certain what sentence the judge will pronounce. We may discover that the sin we thought trifilling is especially repugnant to our judge, we may discover the sin we had long since forgotten, and never confessed, is the deciding factor in our sentence.

IMPLICATION: Preparing now for the judgement to come

So what then should we do to prepare ourselves in the here and now, so that on the day of our judgement, we may find our judge more well disposed toward us? There are three simple things we can do:

First, take penance seriously. If we wish to appease God’s anger and hatred of sin, then we must seek to satisfy divine justice before we are ever called to appear before the judgement seat. Denying ourselves legitimate comforts, performing tasks we dislike with a cheerful demeanour and without complaining, accepting injustices and sufferings gladly, all of these can be ways to atone for the sins we have committed.

Second, examine ourselves daily and go to Confession frequently. Performing a daily Examination of Conscience will ensure that we do not overlook any sins, imperfections, and sinful inclinations within ourselves. Bringing these things to the Sacrament of Confession frequently means that God will bestow His mercy upon us now, so that we need not fear His judgement later.

Third, we must meditate frequently on our judgement. Pondering the last things should not be reserved for when we are seriously ill, the funeral of a loved one, and the month of November. As Our Lord reminded His disciples, no one knows the day or the hour that we will be called to our judgement, and by keeping it ever in the forefront of our minds, we will be constantly reminded of the need to avoid sin, and practice penance.

Today Our Lord will shine His merciful countenance upon us as He comes to us in Holy Communion, when He does, let us pray for the grace to be well prepared for the day we will face Him in judgement.