In matters concerning the Coming of Christ at the end of time to judge the living and the dead, it sometimes seems that people with a certain mindset have learned nothing since the time of St Paul. About a year ago, an American preacher asserted that the world would end on a certain day and then had to revise his date and finally admit he was totally wrong.

We Catholics, in particular, have no need to be disturbed by such nonsense. We have Paul's teaching on the matter, but more importantly we have Jesus' own teaching: "I am with you always, until the end of time" (Matthew 28: 20). Towards the beginning of his Gospel, Matthew(1:23) tells us that the Messiah will be Emmanuel (God with us) and Jesus' final words repeat that promise.

At the Last Supper, when he was about to face death and so return to the Father, Jesus still desired to be with us in our journey through life. As a human being he could not live for ever, but out of his infinite love for us he gave us the sacrament of his body and blood.