THE FOUR LAST THINGS “I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo. “So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring By Jay Mason
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he winter is a time to tell stories and talk of serious things in the Navajo culture. For Christians the year ends in November with the Feast of Christ the King. During that period, we should take time to think about the Four Last Things, namely, Death, Judgment, Hell, and Heaven. The new Christian year begins in December with Advent in which we are to prepare for the coming of Christ with penance and sacrifice. It is not all Christmas parties and presents. It is time to think about our life on this earth and hopefully the life to come thereafter. The first last thing is Death. We all fear death. It is naturally human to do so. Most of us don’t want to think about it. There is a Navajo taboo about even talking about death or taking action to plan after death. I have lost count of the number of disputes in tribal court that could have been avoided if the deceased person had just written a will to say how they wanted their possessions to be distributed after their death. Because, guess what, we are all going to die someday. As a Christian, I need to think about the death of Christ. It was not pleasant. The Gospels tell us the story of the agony of His death. I always wanted to die peacefully in my sleep. My lovely wife says if I don’t get a CPAP machine that is exactly what is going to happen. But Christ has bequeathed us an unpleasant experience that resembles His own death. Death is not fun. That is the point; we give up our life in an agonizing fashion to receive something greater that transcends life as we know it - an eternal life hopefully in Heaven with God. The second last thing is the Judgment. There is a preliminary judgment just after we die, but I am talking about our Final Judgment. We make judgments about things every day. The courts pass judgment on people who commit crimes. We are cautioned by Christ, “Judge not, lest ye be judged.” We are asked to forgive those who trespass against us. We should avoid judging others especially as to their ultimate fate. That is God’s job not ours. Our secular world rebels against the idea that any of us will be judged for our actions (unless we violate the law and get caught). That same world says,
Merry C
26
December 2017
