Our Venerable Fathers Isaac (406-25), Dalmatus and Faustus
Dormition Fast. Abstinence from meat and foods that contain meat.
Read
2 Corinthians 4:13-18; Matthew 24:27-33, 42-51
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
As Catholics, we confess our belief in the second coming of Christ at the end of time whenever we say or chant the Nicene Creed. It is a clear and express teaching of the Church that Our Lord will return at a time we do not expect to judge the living and the dead. At this, the parousia, the righteous -those who have lived the life in Christ- will be blessed and all that was secret and hidden will be revealed. At that time, humanity will be glorified and we will attain the full stature of the Resurrected Lord, being delivered once and for all from death and corruption as promised in the Resurrection. The things of heaven will be united with those on earth. The judgement of God on that last day will be dreadful for all who have done evil, but for those who have put on Christ and lived their baptism fully the last day will be a time of great and rich blessing.
This faith in the second coming of Christ we also confess in the anaphora, the Eucharistic prayer, of the Divine Liturgy: “Remembering, therefore, this salutary commandment, and all that was done for us: the cross, the tomb, the resurrection on the third day, the ascension into heaven, the sitting at the right hand, and the second and glorious coming.” We are to have confidence in this mystery of salvation. At the changing of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ the priest prays the following, revealing the salvific power of the Holy Eucharist: “So that they may be for the communicants sobriety of soul, forgiveness of sins, fellowship of Your Holy Spirit, fulfillment of the kingdom of heaven, confidence before You and not for judgement or condemnation.”
The second coming of Christ is fearful, but not in that we should be scared of it but rather that it should instill within us genuine fear of God: a sense of His awesome power, love, and mercy the immensity and depth of which we cannot fathom. We gain this fear of God through living a prayerful life, by partaking regularly in the Holy Eucharist, and making a regular confession of our sins. We should not live in constant fear of being condemned for our sinfulness -this is not the disposition God desires within us. Instead, we must rejoice in the Lord and love Him as fully as we are able. We must persevere in holiness knowing that we cannot be perfect, but that we can strive to be saints. We must strive in the midst of our struggle with sin to desire God’s presence in our lives. Our Lord knows our struggles and He loves us, after all, He gave Himself for us and for our salvation. But let us be watchful and not slacken in our desire for holiness for “the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”