Dec 31 Wed
Should I be afraid of my personal Judgment?
As the year ends, our Mother, the Church, doesn't remind us of the judgment to make us anxious about our failings or the demands Christ will make of us. She wants to encourage us in our daily struggle and help us to respond more faithfully to our Christian vocation. She doesn't want to frighten us. Rather, she wants us to have a clear idea of our end and to help us strive upwards every day.
Moreover, Christ will not be a strange judge for us. We have the immense good fortune of being among the chosen friends of the One who is to judge us. And each day our friendship grows stronger. By fulfilling our Norms of piety, our small mortifications, our acts of love, our habitual apostolate, we increasingly identify ourselves with Him. Saint Josemaría wrote: "I was amused to hear you speak of the 'account' that Our Lord will demand of you. No, for none of you will he be a Judge, in the harsh sense of the word; He will be simply Jesus." -This phrase has consoled more than one troubled heart, and could very well console yours.
Indeed, at times, there isn't enough refinement in our love. We could do our work or study better; we could receive the means of formation more fruitfully; we could carry out a more constant apostolate. It's also true that we have offended him. However, despite everything, we grow more in love with our Lord every day and become more resolved to dedicate ourselves to Him. Though we know our faults have offended him, we also understand that a small token of our love is enough to draw back his loving gaze. He often smiles at our efforts in our interior life and apostolate.
Besides, “our Guardian Angel always accompanies us as our principal witness. It is he who, at your particular judgement, will remember the kind deeds you performed for our Lord throughout your life. Furthermore, when you feel lost, before the enemy's terrible accusations, your Angel will present those intimations of your heart, which perhaps you yourself might have forgotten, those proofs of love for God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit."
“That is why you must never forget your Guardian Angel, and that Prince of Heaven shall not abandon you now, or at that decisive moment."
Therefore, we view our judgment with great hope and confidence, since our only aim in life is to please God. How can we be afraid or uneasy at the moment of our judgment, when our Christian vocation necessarily entails trying to please Jesus!
Furthermore, our Mother Mary will be present there, providing her protection and support, as she always has done. Our Lady will do what we ask of her every day; she will say good things about us, with motherly affection.