Citizens of two worlds. All human beings, whether they like it or not, are inscribed in the registry of two different worlds. One is the present world, the earth on which we tread and the air that we breathe, a transitory world, that will one day come to an end. The other world is the world where forever and infinity reign, the future world towards which human beings and history are headed. The interesting thing is that these two worlds follow one another chronologically, but they cross each other and intertwine in the life of human beings. Neither one of them is foreign to us, we cannot live in one as if the other did not exist. In the present world we cannot fail to think about the future, and the world to come, nor forget about the present. The vicissitudes of history, its conflicts and grief almost inexorably refer us to the future. The happiness and fullness of the world to come will lead us to want all men and women of this world to achieve such a dimension. As citizens of the present world, we must be absorbed by and devoted to the task of justice. We must foster advances in a spirit of humanism and solidarity, and support the growth in moral values. As citizens of the world to come, we must strive to establish the Kingdom of Christ and the holiness of Christians. The present in which we live requires of us the task of choosing and renouncing, while the future will be a time for possession and joy. The present is a time for ideals and achievements, while the future will be a time for encounter and closeness. The present is a time to persevere in our struggle, while the future will be a time of rest in peace. The present is a time of hope in faith and love, while the future will be a time when perfect love will triumph. These two different, but not quite so distant worlds, are actually united in man’s heart – two worlds in which the Christian must live to the fullest, honoring the name of Christ.

The light of justice. The light of justice does not always shine brightly in this world; there is also a great shadow cast by injustice. This is why the upright and good person is tempted to say, “It is useless to serve God; what is the good of keeping his commands?” (First reading.) Perhaps our ears hear the voices of false prophets that cry out, “I am he!”, or that presumptuously predict, “The time will come.” (Gospel). These voices worry us and generate some perplexity in Christians. While confused about the future, among the Christians of Thessalonica there were also some who were “doing no work themselves but interfering with other people’s.” (Second reading.) They were obviously creating confusion, and perturbed the life and peace of the community. This darkness of injustice is not something which characterized only the Old or New Testament, for it continues to be something we observe in our time. Aren’t there perhaps many people who believe that evil prevails over good? And what about those who scare others, especially the simplest and least cultured people, by talking about the revelations they have received, informing them that the end of the world is about to come? Aren’t there many false prophets and doctors of the law, who plunder here and there, teaching erroneous doctrines? God’s revelation, reported in the liturgical texts of this Sunday, reminds us, “The Day is coming, glowing like a furnace.” It may be that this light is already beginning to shine in this world, but the sun of justice will certainly shine its rays of light in the world to come. Therefore, in the midst of injustice and persecution, the Christian must remain tranquil, patient and at peace, because God will come in his time. “Your perseverance will win you your lives,” Jesus Christ tells us in the Gospel.

The time of the Church. The time of the Church is between Pentecost and the end of history. This Church, which is already twenty-one centuries old, lives the present in an effort to be faithful to its Founder, and looks to the future with hope. Jesus Christ has not spared this Church any trials or tribulations. However, he has not been stingy with the Church either, in terms of consolations. In its past and present history, we see an innumerable row of men and women faithful to their Lord, together with defections, false teachers, apostasy and betrayal. Throughout the centuries, in many places where there was no peace, holy Christians have sown the seeds of harmony among people. However, during these same centuries, there have also been Christians who have spread discord, quarrels in the family, revolution, warfare, in human groups, and among nations. In the long history of Christianity, there have been Christian kings and rulers, who have been extremely holy, and who have worked much good. Equally, there have been and still are kings and rulers who have persecuted their brothers and sisters in the faith due to political reasons or for ideological interests. In history, there have also been enemies of God and of his Church. Let us recall the emperors who for three centuries, more or less intensely, persecuted Christianity as an unlawful religion, and considered Christians as traitors because they did not worship the gods of the Empire. Let us think about the torment suffered by the children of the Church in Japan and China, because Christianity was considered as foreign and completely estranged from the religious traditions of those countries. And what about the brutal persecution and harassment of communism towards Christians wherever real socialism was or continues to be a sad and horrendous nightmare of humankind? The time of the Church has been and will continue to be such until the end: a time of tribulation, and a time of consolation and peace. This is the Church in which we live, which we love, and in which we build the Kingdom of God!

To live the present on the basis of the future. We often think that we must live the present with an eye towards the past, to learn from it, since “history is a teacher of life.” I don’t dispute this. However, I do wish to point out an aspect proper of our Christian faith. We must live in the present as like someone who has already trod down the path of life and finds himself in the world to come. It is clear that the perspectives and the ways in which we live the present are very different. This is what is important in a person’s life: if a twenty-year old were able to live life from the perspective of a sixty-year old, he would certainly live in a different way. All the more so when we hypothetically place ourselves in the hereafter. Let us ask ourselves, “From the perspective of eternal life, how would I have wanted to experience the present day, my family situation, this moment of personal crisis, this emotional relationship, this working environment?” This future creates a distance between ourselves and our present, and in so doing it enables to see things with a greater peace and objectivity. This future places us in the world of God, thus granting us the power to think about the different situations of the present and of life with the same attitude as God. From a future point of view, we know better and are able to apply to the present more accurately and consistently the rule of our faith and the measure of our behavior. We must not think in terms of a utopia, but a spark of the future in our present is enough to light up our soul with a new ardor and enthusiasm.