“The Day of the Lord” (2 Pet.3:10)
Fr. Campbell
With
Palm Sunday we begin the most solemn time of the Liturgical Year, Holy
Week. A passage from the book of the prophet Isaiah speaks of the
redemptive sufferings of Christ:
“Despised
and the most abject of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with
infirmity: and his look was as it were hidden and despised. Whereupon we
esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our infirmities and carried our
sorrows: and we have thought him as it were a leper, and as one struck
by God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our iniquities: he was
bruised for our sins. The chastisement of our peace was upon him: and by
his bruises we are healed” (Is.53:3-5).
Our Lord’s own words tell us that in these times we must also endure sufferings and sorrows:
“Take
care that no one leads you astray, for many will come in my name,
saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. For you shall
hear of wars and rumors of wars. Take care that you do not be alarmed,
for these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation
will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be
pestilences and famines and earthquakes in various places. But all
these things are the beginning of sorrows” (Mt.24:4-8).
Unfortunately
for the world, most of the world’s population has already been “led
astray” and into the darkness of unbelief and sin. They think that
freedom means they can do anything they please, and that they don’t have
to answer to God for their actions. But being free from error and sin
is what we need. Our Savior tells us how we become free:
“Amen,
amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. But the
slave does not abide in the house forever; the son abides there
forever. If therefore the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed”
(Jn.8:34-36).
We
have a choice. Either we become free through faith in Jesus Christ and
by His grace, or we remain slaves of this world, which really means to
be slaves of the devil. And that means ending up in Hell – for all
eternity. St. Paul says it well:
“The
day of the Lord is to come as a thief in the night. For when they shall
say ‘Peace and security,’ even then will sudden destruction come upon
them, as birth pangs upon her who is with child, and they will not
escape” (1Thess.5:2,3).
The
“freedom” that is of this world never lasts. They may wave their flags,
carry their signs, and march to their tunes of glory. But the freedom
the world promises us is not true freedom at all. What the world really
wants is freedom from God and His Laws. They want their abortion rights,
they want to cavort in public following their rainbow flags, and they
care nothing about the rights of decent citizens and the little children
whose innocence is betrayed. We know what God’s Holy Word says about
this:
“Woe
to you that call evil good, and good evil: that put darkness for light,
and light for darkness: that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for
bitter. Woe to you that are wise in your own eyes, and prudent in your
own conceits… Therefore as the tongue of the fire devoureth the stubble,
and the heat of the flame consumeth it: so shall their root be as
ashes, and their bud shall go up as dust. For they have cast away the
law of the Lord of hosts, and have blasphemed the word of the Holy one
of Israel” (Is.5:20,21;24).
The
truth is, that unless the Lord makes us free, we are still slaves of
this world, and will burn forever in the fire of Hell, unless we turn
with our whole heart to the Lord and obey His Holy Commandments. For
those who believe, this is not difficult, says St. John:
“Everyone
who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. And everyone who
loves him who begot, loves also the one begotten of him. In this we know
that we love the children of God, when we love God and do his
commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his
commandments; and his commandments are not burdensome. Because all that
is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that
overcomes the world, our faith. Who is there that overcomes the world if
not he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1Jn.5:1-5).