“From the Fig tree learn its lesson” (Mark 13:28)

The flu season is upon us, and people are taking the flu shot. Ours is a preventive generation, thanks to science, prevention is better than cure. Imagine how many people died before the discovery of the flu shot. Yes, science has come a long way. Make no mistake about it, some people still refuse to take the flu shot – in a land of freedom, people make choices.

In the Church, the liturgical year draws to an end, so we read and talk about the end-time or the last things, which include death, judgment, heaven and hell. Now, the Church offers us readings about heaven, hell, judgment and death because these events are part of our faith. They are not meant to scare us, but to remind us of how to exercise our freedom of choice: to choose between heaven and hell, life and death.

Jesus Christ chose life, and he has left us an example of what choosing life means – having a place at God’s right hand in heaven (second reading). Will you choose heaven or hell? Just as some people freely choose to refuse to receive the flu shot, so will some refuse to choose heaven by opting for hell through their evil deeds!

Let us learn from the fig tree or from the inevitable succession of seasons. A day of judgment will also come, at its own time.

Ayodele Ayeni, C.S.Sp.