Skip To The End

*WARNING. This article contains spoilers about your eternal salvation.

When I was in 4th grade, my class was reading a book together for English. An early chapter ended in a cliff-hanger, and our teacher asked us to draw a picture of what we thought was going to happen next. I'm well aware that she was trying to teach us how to use context and such, but I was already an avid reader by 4th grade, so naturally I had already read the next three chapters. So when my teacher assigned us this project, I proudly told her that I already knew what was going to happen. To my surprise, I was mildly scolded and told not to skip ahead.

"Stay with the class, Andrew," my teacher said.

Just FYI, as Catholics, we're encouraged to skip ahead. In fact, it's practically a requirement.

For those of you who are still working through the Bible, spoiler alert; Jesus Christ died for your sins, and the gates of Heaven have been opened to you.

I did warn you about spoilers.

Obviously, getting to Heaven requires our cooperation with God's grace. Obviously, we are called to live our faith and to serve the Lord. But thankfully, the heavy lifting has already been done for us. Christ has defeated sin and death, and the battle is already won.

Congratulations! You're already on the winning side!

But most of the time, it doesn't feel as though we're champions. Hopelessness and despair are running rampant in our world, manifesting themselves in thousands of problems that seem to be infecting everyone. We turn to politicians, celebrities, or the latest #1 New York Times best-selling book on how to maximize your potential, hoping, searching desperately for an answer to the sadness we just can't seem to purge from our lives. All of these "cures" ultimately fail, leaving us empty again.

Nothing in this world can give us true hope except for our God. The great saints of the Church lived through some of the most horrific events in history, and yet they remained joyful throughout it all. They skipped to the end and realized that all they had to do was try their best to be faithful, and God would do the rest. They found eternal hope in Christ. Before the Ascension, Christ told the Apostles, "In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world." (John 16:33)

The next time you feel that despair, turn to the Cross and remember that Christ has already won the victory for you. Do not be afraid, for our God has already conquered our enemies, sin and death.

Go ahead. Skip to the end.