Let me begin with two quotes from the second letter of St. Peter, “What we await are new heavens and a new earth where, according to his promise, the justice of God will reside.” Then, “Consider that our Lord’s patience is directed toward salvation.”

As the current state of our world seems to deteriorate – the horrible war in Ukraine, the millions of refugees chased from their homes by war and violence or drought and famine, the changing weather patterns which reveal the threat of climate change – I hear more and more people either wondering if the end of the world is close at hand or actively praying for the end of the world.  

The former attitude – expecting the world to end because of the awful state of sin in our midst – has been an attitude shared by Christians and others for centuries, especially in the face of dramatic changes in what is usually a fairly comfortable life.  So, for example, when the barbarians invaded and sacked Rome in 455 AD or when the black plague decimated Europe in the 14th century or when World Wars saw millions of soldiers and civilians killed or wounded, many people were sure the end of the world was just around the corner.

Perhaps surprisingly, we Catholics pray at every Eucharist for the end of the world.  We pray a prayer of belief and trust that somewhere ahead of us, Jesus will come a second time and this world as we know it will be replaced.  We call this second coming of Jesus the Parousia. Of course, we have no idea when this will happen; we are as much in the dark as the generations before us who were convinced that they were on the edge of destruction and transformation.

In our Christian understanding of the world, we do await new heavens and a new earth where there will be no more sorrow, no more tears, no more pain. It will be a world of perfect justice, love and harmony. It will be heaven even though we can hardly imagine its perfection.

Indeed, I would like you to pause for a moment and see if you can imagine a world of perfect justice, where everyone is treated equally and respectfully, where whatever is needed is shared cheerfully and freely.  There would be no greed, no resentment, no anger or recriminations, no back-stabbing or malicious gossip, no hatred!

It sounds wonderful but it is kind of hard to imagine, isn’t it? And it would certainly put people who write crime novels out of work!

I think that the major challenge for us mortals is even trying to imagine what heaven will be like.  How does one conceive of a place of perfect love and harmony? Well, perhaps there is no point in trying to imagine heaven, except to long for it as eternal life with the Trinity.

Meanwhile, we remain on this earth. And I would like you to stop and think for a moment, not about earthly problems, but about the beauty of this universe, our world and our lives. The Genesis story of Creation tells us of the loving work of our Creator God; science tells us that this Creator began his work 13.4 billion years ago with the so-called Big Bang that set in motion the stars, the sun and the planets. Or think of our planet Earth for a moment, how fragile it is and yet so full of life and beauty.

Or further think of the beauty of the blue sky, the warmth of the sun on a clear day, the wonder of the full moon hanging above. Consider the amazing variety of vegetation across the planet, from jungles to forests to farmland. Think of the abundance of food produced by farmers, think of the arts and sciences, think of lakes, and rivers and oceans, even the many products human beings have developed for things like housing and human use.

This is the home that God spent billions of years creating for us to live in. God fashioned humankind on the surface of this gift, gave us the powers to see and feel and think and create.  And, ultimately, God gives us an everlasting Love, made truly present in Jesus Christ, fully God and fully human.

I could go on and on, but I am asking you to pause for a moment and look around you and feel the wonder of this world we experience as a gift of Divine Love. And I am asking you to love this Creation, protect it and look after it, share it with your brothers and sisters, and be always grateful for God’s generosity to us. 

Then when we pray for the coming of God’s Kingdom, for those “new heavens and a new earth,” we can do so not in despair about life on this planet, despite all its difficulties and challenges. Rather we can renew our commitment to God to appreciate what we have been given and the wonder of a world where we can flourish despite evil and sin. 

Remember, the Lord has promised: “I am with you until the end of the world.”

And may the blessing of Almighty God descend upon you and remain with you always: In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.