The Destiny of the Righteous
The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God and no torment will ever touch them. In the
eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died and their departure was thought to be a disaster
and their going from us to be their destruction but they are at peace, For though in the sight of
others they were punished, their hope is full of immortality. Having been disciplined a little,
they will receive great good because God tested them and found them worthy of Himself; Like
gold in the furnace He tried them and like a sacrificial burnt offering He accepted them. In the
time of their visitation they will shine forth and will run like sparks through the stubble. They
will govern nations and rule over peoples and the Lord will reign over them forever. Those who
trust in Him will understand truth and the faithful will abide with Him in love because grace
and mercy are upon the Holy ones and He watches over His elect.
The Destiny of the Ungodly
The ungodly will be punished as their reasoning deserves, those who disregarded the righteous
and rebelled against the Lord; For those who despise wisdom and instruction are miserable.
Their hope is vain, their labors are unprofitable and their works are useless. Their wives are
foolish and their children evil; their offspring are accursed.
On Childlessness
For blessed is the barren woman who is undefiled, who has not entered into a sinful union; she
will have fruit when God examines souls. Blessed also is the eunuch whose hands have done no
lawless deed and who has not devised wicked things against the Lord; for special favor will be
shown him for his faithfulness and a place of great delight in the Temple of the Lord. For the
fruit of good labors is renowned and the root of understanding does not fail but children of
adulterers will not come to maturity and the offspring of an unlawful union will perish. Even if
they live long they will be held of no account and finally their old age will be without honor. If
they die young, they will have no hope and no consolation on the Day of Judgment. For the end
of an unrighteous generation is grievous. Better than this is childlessness with virtue, for in the
memory of virtue is immortality because it is known both by God and by mortals. When it is
present, people imitate it and they long for it when it has gone; throughout all time it marches,
crowned in triumph, victor in the contest for prizes that are undefiled but the prolific brood of
the ungodly will be of no use and none of their illegitimate seedlings will strike a deep root or
take a firm hold. For even if they put forth boughs for a while, standing insecurely they will be
shaken by the wind and by the violence of the winds they will be uprooted. The branches will be
broken off before they come to maturity and their fruit will be useless, not ripe enough to eat
and good for nothing. For children born of unlawful unions are witnesses of evil against their
parents when God examines them but the righteous, though they die early, will be at rest. For
old age is not honored for length of time or measured by number of years but understanding is
gray hair for anyone and a blameless life is ripe old age.
There were some who pleased God and were loved by Him and while living among sinners were
taken up. They were caught up so that evil might not change their understanding or guile
deceive their souls. For the fascination of wickedness obscures what is good and roving desire
perverts the innocent mind. Being perfected in a short time, they fulfilled long years; for their
souls were pleasing to the Lord, therefore He took them quickly from the midst of wickedness.
Yet the peoples saw and did not understand or take such a thing to heart, that God’s grace and
mercy are with His elect and that He watches over His holy ones.
The Triumph of the Righteous
The righteous who have died will condemn the ungodly who are living and youth that is quickly
perfected will condemn the prolonged old age of the unrighteous. For they will see the end of
the wise and will not understand what the Lord purposed for them and for what He kept them
safe. The unrighteous will see and will have contempt for them but the Lord will laugh them to
scorn. After this they will become dishonored corpses and an outrage among the dead forever;
because He will dash them speechless to the ground and shake them from the foundations;
they will be left utterly dry and barren and they will suffer anguish and the memory of them
will perish.
The Final Judgment
They will come with dread when their sins are reckoned up and their lawless deeds will convict
them to their face. Then the righteous will stand with great confidence in the presence of those
who have oppressed them and those who make light of their labors. When the unrighteous see
them, they will be shaken with dreadful fear and they will be amazed at the unexpected
salvation of the righteous. They will speak to one another in repentance and in anguish of spirit
they will groan and say, “These are persons whom we once held in derision and made a byword
of reproach – fools that we were! We thought that their lives were madness and that their end
was without honor. Why have they been numbered among the children of God? Why is their lot
among the Saints? So it is we who strayed from the way of truth and the light of righteousness
did not shine on us and the sun did not rise upon is. We took our fill of the paths of lawlessness
and destruction and we journeyed through trackless deserts but the way of the Lord we have
not known. What has our arrogance profited us?
What good has our boasted wealth brought us?”
“All those things have vanished like a shadow and like a rumor that passes by; like a ship that
sails through the billowy water and when it has passed no trace can be found, no track of its
keel in the waves; or as, when a bird flies through the air, no evidence of its passage is found,
the light air, lashed by the beat of its pinions and pierced by the force of its rushing flight, is
traversed by the movement of its wings and afterward no sign of its coming is found there; or
as, when an arrow is shot at a target, the air, thus divided, comes together at once, so that no
one knows its pathway. So we also, as soon as we were born, ceased to be and we had no sign of
virtue to show but were consumed in our wickedness.” Because the hope of the ungodly is like
thistledown carried by the wind and like a light frost driven away by a storm; it is dispersed like
smoke before the wind and it passes like the remembrance of a guest who stays but a day.
The Reward of the Righteous
The righteous will live forever and their reward is with the Lord;
The Most High takes care of them.
Therefore they will receive a glorious crown and a beautiful diadem from the hand of the Lord because with His right hand He will cover them and with His arm He will shield them.
Wisdom 5:16
The Lord will take His zeal as His whole armor and will arm all creation to repel His enemies.
He will put on righteousness as a breastplate and wear impartial justice as a helmet; He will
take holiness as an invincible shield and sharpen stern wrath for a sword and creation will join
Him to fight against His frenzied foes. Shafts of lightning will fly with true aim and will leap
from the clouds to the target, as from a well-drawn bow and hailstones full of wrath will be
hurled as from a catapult; the water of the sea will rage against them and rivers will
relentlessly overwhelm them; a mighty wind will rise against them and like a tempest it will
winnow them away. Lawlessness will lay waste the whole earth and evildoing will overturn the
rulers. –Wisdom 3-5
The Lord looks down from Heaven; He sees all humankind. –Psalm 33:13
Do not worry about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication (appeal) with thanksgiving
Those who trust in the Lord will understand truth
Dedication of St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome –Image: Catholic Online