“The Four Last Things”

I remember one of my early visits to New York City. I’d flown into LaGuardia from Kansas City, took a memorable cab ride to midtown for a job interview, and eventually headed to Grand Central Station to catch a train to Connecticut to visit a friend. It’s a miracle I didn’t end up in Alabama. Quoting Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz: “Woe Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”

To be honest, my head was swimming as I wandered thru rush  hour, trying to find the right train…. everyone in a big hurry, cars honking, no one looking anyone in the face; the option was to walk fast or get trampled. “Wow, these people really must have important things to do, they are in a hurry….getting to work,  making money, meeting a friend, going to a Yankees game, robbing a bank, or maybe just surviving. “Everyone’s in a hurry in “the Big Apple”…. and Ole Dave from K.C. is just lookin at all the big buildings, pretty sure he won’t ever see his family again.” 

Whatever the motivations were back in 1973 to cause everyone to race around in the “Big Apple”, today have disappeared. All the “big shots” from my company on 42^nd St. have retired and passed away…. straining for that next big promotion is history.

In the final analysis, only the things of eternity matter…. all the rest fades away. If you’re on your deathbed and someone says I want to give you the fortunes of Bill Gates and the prestige of the King of England… what would we say? “Gee, you’re a little late….  thanks but no thanks…. that stuff no longer matters to me …. I’ve run out of time”. What’s left for me is  the Four Last Things. All the things of the earth have grown strangely dim… they really don’t matter anymore.  

Ultimately we all need to come to grips with the “Four Last Things — death, judgement, heaven, or hell”. To put it bluntly, we are on this earth for a brief moment and then we die….and then comes judgement and our eternal destiny. “Man you are dust and unto dust you shall return.” (Gen. 3:19) This reality should cause each of us to pause from our “rushing around” and spend some time pondering our destiny…is there life after death, what can we learn now, and how can we prepare.  

St. Paul reminds us: “But as to the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When people say, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as travail comes upon a woman with child, and there will be no escape. But you are not in darkness, brethren, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all sons of light and sons of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.” (1Thes. 5:1-6)

So let each of us stay awake and sober, not distracted by the fading glitter of the world, but preparing for that day… that fearsome day of the four last things. With the Lord as our friend, that day will be a great day …..  and our final destiny will be heaven.  And that is very good news.