IL FINE

 Gospel | Luke 21:5-19

Why does it matter when the end of the world will be? Only if it is in our lifetime will it impinge on our choices, but that is unlikely. However, this does not mean we can ignore the need to prepare for the Lord’s coming. Unless He comes before we die, it is our death that becomes a point of no return for us. After we die, there is no more opportunity for repentance and conversion—we have run our race and the results are in.

Reflect:

“Be ready, servant of Christ, for your Master comes suddenly, when an ungodly world least expects Him.” (Charles Spurgeon)

The end in Italian is “fine.” pronounced as /’fi:ne/. Fine has two senses. It can be either la fine or il fine. La fine is the end, in the sense of the end of the line, the edge of a table, the moment in which something ends, the conclusion of an experience. Il fine is likewise the end, but one that refers to the final phase of something, a period or range in time, or, most of all, in the sense of an aim, a target, a goal or purpose.

When we look at the end of our sufferings, or our life for that matter, it is not a mere la fine but il fine, for we look not at the end of a chronological duration. We look at it as il fine, for we see the purpose of it all. We see redemption. We see Jesus.

-Joel Camaya