know your judge
"Whoever rejects Me and does not accept My words already has his judge, namely, the word I have spoken — it is that which will condemn him on the last day." —John 12:48
If you knew someone was assigned by God to judge you on the last day, how would you relate to this person? Knowing that he had the authority to tell you to enter heaven or to condemn you to hell forever, you would certainly be attentive to your future judge. You would foster the best relationship possible with your future, final judge.
Jesus said that His word will judge us on the last day (Jn 12:48). Consequently, we want to know God's word as well as possible. We want to live in accord with His word and not in contradiction to it. If we have not even bothered to know the Church's teachings, especially the Scriptures, do we have anything to look forward to on Judgment Day? (see Heb 10:27) If we have arrogantly dismissed God's word as irrelevant to our culture, aren't we setting up the worst case scenario for Judgment Day? If we have not sacrificed to share God's word, aren't we implying that it is not that important, and won't we eat our words on Judgment Day?
May God's word be the "joy and the happiness" of your heart (Jer 15:16). May you follow the Church in venerating God's word, especially the Scriptures, as you venerate the Lord's Body (Catechism, 103). Then, you will rejoice to be judged by God's word on Judgment Day.
Prayer: Father, make me true to Your word.
Promise: "The Holy Spirit spoke to them: 'Set apart Barnabas and Saul for Me to do the work for which I have called them.' " —Acts 13:2
Praise: Before he became a priest, St. Fidelis served God as a lawyer who constantly defended the lowly and oppressed. He was nicknamed "The Poor Man's Lawyer."
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Giles H. Pater, November 15, 2001
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, November 16, 2001