Denis Mc Bride in his book Season's of the Word has this interesting story to tell:
The leader of a certain Indian tribe was dying. For many generations his people had been encamped at the base of a large mountain. The chieftain summoned his three sons and said' "I am dying; before I die, I must choose one of you to succeed me as the head of our tribe. I have the same task for each of you. I want you to climb our Holy Mountain and bring me back something beautiful, the one whose gift is the most outstanding will be the one who will succeed me."
The following morning the sons set out on their search, each taking different path to stop of the Holy Mountain. After several days the sons returned. The first son brought with him a rare kind of extremely beautiful flower that grow near the summit of the mountain. The second son brought his father a precious stone which was polished by sandy wind and rain. When the third son approached his father, everryone saw him came with an empty hands.
The empty handed son said to his father: "I have brought back nothing to show you, father. As I stood on the top of the Holy Mountain, I saw that on the other side was a beautiful land filled with green pastures. in the middle of these pastures there is a crystal lake. And I have a vision of where our tribe could go for a better life. I was so overwhelmed with what I saw and by what I could see that I could not bring anything back." And the fatherv replied: "you shall be our tribe's chieftain, for you have brought back the most precious thing of all - the gift of vision for a better future for our people.
This is story is very appropriate for our reflecyion on the END TIME or the PAROUSIA, namele the second coming of Jesus in power and glory at the end of the world. The Lord is reminding us to be always be ready for his return. Because no one knows the day or the hour that he is coming back.
The image that Jesus used in picturing the end of time is scary because the Sun will no longer shine, the moon will no longer give its light, the stars will be falling from the skies. The world will be in total darkness and in chaos. But for those who are ready to come face to face with the Lord will rejoice because Jesus will come to give justice to the world.
To be ready to that Parousia we need to be always faithful to the Word and Commandments of God. If we keep an eye unto the world that is to come and be loyal to Jesus to the end, then we will be happy because we will be numbered among God's elect and be with Him in his Kingdom.
