Theological Foundations new file

189 The Eschatological Direction heights of eternity and how splendid is the vision of man from this per- spective. The man in this vision is truly free, endowed with an open heart and mind. He feels close to all men and considers all mankind to be his family. He is dedicated to God, to the Church, to the matters of both earthly and eternal life. As they lead us through the ultimate truths of our faith, the two authors want to encourage us to begin serious work on ourselves. It should manifest itself in our constant readiness to meet God, in constant vigilance and prayer. It is also their desire to encourage us to ardent prayer for the souls suffering in Purgatory. 3. A Call to Vigilance and Prayer When Father Papczynski quotes the following sentence from the Gospel: “The powers of the heavens will be shaken” (Lk 21, 26), he wants to shake every Christian to the core and inspire him to genuine repentance. In view of man’s ultimate fate, repentance is something that suggests itself, for how will a sinful man stand before the Divine Judge, how will he dare to lift up his head when even the purest hosts of the heavenly spirits, free from the tiniest speck of sin, will tremble on the last day? And so, the time of salvation has already come — the time of work, effort, good deeds, prayer, mortification, humble service, patience and acquiring virtues. 50 In order to inspire man to be always ready to meet the Lord, Father Stanislaus encourages him to ponder Christ’s call to vigilance after the example of the men waiting for their master to come home from the marriage feast. They should open to him at once when he comes and knocks. They will be happy if the Lord finds them awake. He will invite them to sit at the table and will serve them (cf. Lk 12, 36-37). These are the men that should be imitated rather than those who follow their pas- sions and the urges of nature. 51 Father Papczynski points out that it is not without import with whom we keep company because at the time of God’s judgment we will stand