Four Last Things - Judgement

The Tradition of pondering on the Four Last Things is our heritage as a Christian Community.  It somewhat aligns with the four themes of the Advent Candles.  Death, Judgement, Hell and Heaven are the BIG FOUR of the Advent.  The Four Purple Candles of Advent Wreath represent Patriarchs, Prophets, John the Baptist and the Blessed Virgin Mary.  If we dare to align them, the Patriarchs defied Death (He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.”  Mark 12.27).  The Prophets proclaimed Judgement ('Therefore, the days are surely coming, says the Lord ... And I will bring to an end the sound of mirth and gladness.' Jeremiah 7.32,34).  John proclaimed hell.  (O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Matthew 3.7)  Mary's womb was the throne of heaven.
Having made the alignment, we reflect on the Judgement Day this coming week.  How is our Church, the Body of Christ today, the Second Sunday of Advent 2024?  Recently I wrote to a Senior Cleric begging to stop virtue signalling.  Somehow every mundane thing we happen to do, needed to be seen on Social Media as if the Church is leading the way, in our world.  We have become addicted to saying we are the 'First this' and the 'First that' only to find that it was a very BAD FIRST, in the fulness of time.  We are called to be a Virtuous Community, I wrote, and not a virtue signalling community.
Virtue Signalling, it seems to be the 'Teflon of the Church' today, promising shine but ultimately poisoning the Body of Christ.  We wanted to be the 'Glittering Images' of Scotland and hired a veneer of Teflon and the Body of Christ is suffering with multiple illness today?  Are we under the Judgement of God?  I need to distance myself from this sort of Judgemental attitude. This Blog does not represent the 'good' people of the Church but the 'Resident Aliens' the Prophets of our time, who call for 'Repentance' before 'Reconciliation'.  Virtue Signalling does not do Repentance.  Judgement is inevitable when Repentance becomes alien.
Judgement?  Am I called to be a Judge?  He said, 'Judge not, that ye be not judged' (Matthew 7.1).  Therefore, I shall not judge but I simply point to the One who will bring us to the Judgement Seat.
​I watched 'Dark Waters' as part of my Advent meditation.  I found it deeply disturbing as it eventually focused on 'Industry Self Regulation'.  Church is a Self Regulated Industry, we know.  It is at the very heart of our Faith to practice 'self regulation' individually and collectively, which involves, self examination, Confession and Reconciliation, with God and with one another.  When this foundational aspect of our Faith is not practiced, it affects the Whole People of God.  No amount of initiatives can end the toxicity other than someone with the call to be like Prophet Robert Bilott and two decades of energy and commitment.  Are we looking for a Martin Luther of our time?  Reformation is well over due?