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The Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard once wrote a story about a travelling circus that was moving throughout the Danish countryside. 

One evening just before the show was about to begin, the circus tent caught fire. 

The first person to notice was a clown already dressed for his evening performance. In a panic, he ran to the neighboring village pleading for help.

“The circus is on fire! The circus is on fire!” He screamed. But the more he pleaded for help, the harder the villagers laughed.

They thought he was trying to attract attention for his next performance.

Eventually the fire spread, engulfing the entire village.

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The villagers were warned, but they didn’t listen. They rejected the messenger.

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In the Gospel, Jesus warns us about the end of the world. “The end is coming! The end is coming!” he says. “Prepare yourselves to be judged.”

Do we listen?

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Jesus not only promises to judge us at the end of time; he also tries preparing us along the way.

That voice of affirmation, that plea for forgiveness, that unexpected gift – all attempts at softening our hearts.

Above all, he is that soft whisper that speaks to our conscience.

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As we prepare for Advent once again, may we train our hearts to see the Lord – not only at the end of our lives, but every day in between.

I wonder, then, where and how he will appear to us today.

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Doesn’t it seem like most sermons center around being a good person? Love one another. The golden rule. Be kind, forgive one another, care for the poor…

It’s how we put our faith into practice.

But that’s not the very center of our faith.

At the heart of our faith is our belief that Jesus Christ died and was raised from the dead. Without the resurrection, Christianity is nothing more than a good idea.

As Saint Paul says, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is in vain; you are still in your sins. And those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.”

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At this time of the year, the growing darkness is a reminder of the coming winter. It’s also a time when the Church remembers our departed loved ones.

By a show of hands, how many of you were present at the Mass of Remembrance last Saturday? Or how many of you have ever attended one?

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I’ve heard many of you comment on how moving it was. 

I was nearly moved to tears while reading name after name of the people who’ve died from our parish this last year.

After each name was read, family members and friends brought a lit candle forward, placing it on a table by the altar.

Among those remembered were grandparents, parents, spouses, even a young father of three.

It was bittersweet. 

Bitter seeing how many people have lost someone they love; bitter sharing their grief. But it was also sweet, seeing the faith that brought them to church that day. 

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As the old saying goes, “Nothing is real until it’s personal.” Death for so many of us is real; it’s personal.

But herein lies the difference between us and the Sadducees in today’s Gospel. They denied the possibility of the resurrection, so they throw a riddle at Jesus to display their unbelief.

“A woman is married seven times,” they say. “Now at the resurrection, whose wife will that woman be?”

“At the resurrection of the dead,” Jesus says, “they neither marry nor are given in marriage. They can no longer die, for they are like angels.”

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They are like angels.

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That’s heaven – a place filled with angels, including our loved ones. It’s literally paradise.

Think of death as the doorway allowing us to pass from this life into the next. It’s a gift; without it we cannot go to our permanent home. 

Death is not something Jesus wants us to fear; it’s merely a transition.

Perhaps the most comforting words I’ve read on death come from Saint Paul, who was the first person to write about death in the New Testament.

In his first Letter to the Thessalonians, he says, “We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may grieve like the rest who have no hope.”

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That’s key.

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Paul says that death is like “falling asleep.” You and I enter into a state in which we can be reawakened. 

Think of death like taking a nap.

For example, what was the last thing we did last night? We got into bed, pulled the covers up, and fell asleep. We entered into a state in which we could be reawakened. 

And the first thing we did this morning? 

We got up. We rose again. We resurrected. 

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We practice this pattern of death and resurrection every day of our lives. God designed the world this way to help alleviate our fear of the unknown.

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I’m 34, for example. I have fallen asleep and risen again some 12,590 times.

In comparison, Jesus only did it 12,000 times. He died and rose at the tender age of 33.

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And remember what he did after his resurrection. 

Before returning to his Father’s house – that place where angels reside – Jesus reappeared to his disciples for 40 days and 40 nights in his resurrected body, giving them a glimpse of what life would be like after death.

He showed them that death did not erase his memory.

Rather, Jesus brought his memories of his earthly life with him into the kingdom of God.

The same will happen to us. Death will not erase our memories. 

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The same is true of our loved ones, those whom we remembered at our Mass of Remembrance, and all others whom we’ve commended to God.

They remember us, they love us, they are waiting for us to come home.

That’s not spooky. It’s very good news.

All God asks of us is to continue running this race of life, keeping the faith. 

How, then, might we grow a little more in faith this week and live accordingly?

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Jesus refers to himself as the Good Shepherd. We are his sheep. But why must we be sheep? Why not something mighty like a lion or a gorilla?

Imagine Jesus saying, “I am the Good Gorilla, or the Good Lion. You are my cubs.” Sounds better than sheep.

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Sheep are defenseless. They have no claws, no paws, no fangs, no venom. When a wolf comes along looking for his next snack, sheep have no way of defending themselves.

They literally run around in a big circle, hoping they are not the one eaten! 

Can you imagine these poor animals thinking, “Catch him! Catch her! Just don’t catch me!” That furry frenzy reminds me a bit of musical chairs. 

Cowardice at its best.

Sheep need a shepherd, because only he can defend them.

Therefore, we need Jesus. 

He is our shepherd, our protection against the wickedness and snares of evil. 

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We all know that feeling of being overwhelmed like a sheep under attack. Flustered. Afraid. 

So what threatens me? What makes me run around circles like a sheep without a shepherd?

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It may be that heavy weight bills that pile up, a negative turn in our health, a death in the family, or dryness in prayer.

Whatever the case may be, Jesus is clear. “Don’t run around in circles. Run to me.”