-25).
On some day--we know not when, it might be tomorrow for all we know--the
world will be going on as usual, some going to school, others to
business; some seeking pleasure, others suffering pain; some in health,
others in sickness, etc. Suddenly they will feel the earth beginning to
quake and tremble; they will see the ocean in great fury, and will be
terrified at its roar as, surging and foaming, it throws its mighty
waves high in the air. Then the sun will grow red and begin to darken; a
horrid glare will spread over the earth, beginning to burn up. Then,
says the Holy Scripture, men will wither away for fear of what is
coming; they will call upon the mountains to fall and hide them; they
will be rushing here and there, not knowing what to do. Money will be of
no value then; dress, wealth, fame, power, learning, and all else will
be useless, for at that moment all men will be equal. Then shall be
heard the sound of the angel's great trumpet calling all to judgment.
The dead shall come forth from their graves, and the demons rush from
Hell. Then all shall see our Blessed Lord coming in the clouds of Heaven
in great power and majesty surrounded by countless angels bearing His
shining Cross before Him. He will separate the good from the wicked; He
will welcome the good to Heaven and condemn the wicked to Hell. The sins
committed shall be made public before all present. Imagine your feelings
while you are standing in that great multitude, waiting for the
separation of the good from the bad. To which side will you be sent? Our
Lord is coming, not with the mild countenance of a saviour, but with the
severe look of a judge. As He draws nearer and nearer to you, you see
some of your dear friends, whom you thought good enough upon earth, sent
over to the side of the wicked; you see others that you deemed foolish
sent with the good, and you become more anxious every instant about the
uncertainty of your own fate. You see fathers and mothers sent to
opposite sides, brothers and sisters, parents and children, separated
forever. Oh, what a terrible moment of suspense! How you will wish you
had been better and always lived a friend of God! The side you will be
on depends upon what you do now, and you can be on the better side if
you wish. Do, then, in your life what you would wish to have done at
that terrible moment. Learn to judge yourself frequently. Say this, or
something similar, to yourself. "Now I have lived twelve, fiftee