By Jenny Koch, Connecting Creed and Life
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
(cf. CCC 731-747)
It’s incredible to think about all of the saints that have gone before us, believing that they were living in the last days. St. Jerome was copying manuscripts while the Visogoths sacked Rome. St. Francis of Assisi went behind enemy lines to talk to a Sultan, in an attempt to end the bloody crusades. St. Damian Molaki gave up a comfortable life to live with and minister to lepers. St. Maximilian Kolbe endured the Nazi concentration camps, ultimately trading his life for another. The list goes on and on – the Communion of Saints gives us countless examples of suffering and endurance, persecution and strife in what the Catechism calls the last days.
Bishop Barron calls it the “in between.” We are all living in between the first coming of Christ – His birth – and waiting for him to come again. In this time, the Holy Spirit is approaching our hearts, guiding us in the faith. The Catechism helps us discern how we should live fruitful lives during this time, with a special emphasis on the Holy Spirit that has been guiding us since Pentecost. A Byzantine Liturgy sums it up well – “We have seen the true Light, we have received the heavenly Spirit, we have found the true faith: we adore the indivisible Trinity, who has saved us” (CCC 732).
We have been given all that we need in these last days. At Pentecost, “the Holy Trinity is fully revealed.” We are invited in our daily lives to be in communion with Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
In this ‘in between’ time, the Catechism also reminds us that the Church is vital – “The mission of Christ and the Holy Spirit is brought to completion in the Church, which is the Body of Christ and the Temple of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is preparing men and women and goes with them in grace in order to draw them to Christ (CCC 737). Most importantly, the Spirit “makes present the mystery of Christ, supremely in the Eucharist, in order to reconcile them, to bring them into communion with God, that they may “bear much fruit” (CCC 132). In other words, the Eucharist is the source and summit – the most important part of our life in the ‘in between.” Without this gift of weekly Mass, we are missing out on the most important part of our earthly pilgrimage.
I have recently been reading St. Thomas Aquinas’ Prayer of Thanksgiving after Mass:
“Lord, Father all-powerful and ever-living God, I thank Thee, for even though I am a sinner, Thy unprofitable servant, not because of my worth but in the kindness of Thy mercy, You have fed me with the Precious Body & Blood of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that this Holy Communion may not bring me condemnation and punishment but forgiveness and salvation. May it be a helmet of faith and a shield of good will. May it purify me from evil ways and put an end to my evil passions. May it bring me charity and patience, humility and obedience, and growth in the power to do good. May it be my strong defense against all my enemies, visible and invisible, and the perfect calming of all my evil impulses, bodily and spiritual. May it unite me more closely to Thee, the One true God, and lead me safely through death to everlasting happiness with Thee. And I pray that You will lead me, a sinner, to the banquet where You, with Your Son and Holy Spirit, are true and perfect light, total fulfillment, everlasting joy, gladness without end, and perfect happiness to Your saints. Grant this through Christ our Lord, Amen.”
I can’t think of a better way to ponder the last days. The mention of ‘true and perfect light’ always sticks with me. Let’s continue to look for the light in times of darkness. I pray that this prayer helps you as it has helped me, and I hope that the witnesses of the Communion of Saints help you in your journey through the ‘in between.”