There Will Be A Reckoning

By Joe Sullivan, MJ • Phoenix, AZ

A woman answered the door. “I’m here to pick up Alan.” It was 7:00 a.m., the first ride of the day in my medical transport job. The woman put her index finger on her lips and quickly moved it to her ear. Oh! I know that one. She is deaf. 

I showed her the screen on my phone and she read the name. She put up her index finger and then quickly rubbed her upper chest with four fingers and then turned around and went behind the house. Soon she emerged and nodded and gave a wave as Alan emerged from behind the house. I put four fingers to my mouth and moved them forward, away from my mouth. This is one of the only signs I know in American sign language: “Thank you”. 

The man who came and entered the vehicle was dressed like a woman. The long blonde wig, red dress, heels, make-up, and red lipstick did a poor job trying to cover his dense dark shade of a beard that was shaved as close as possible. The cab was silent half-way through the 25-minute ride. 

“Do you believe in the rapture?” he asked. I smiled. Almost laughed. “Well, what do you mean “Rapture”? Alan gave a standard Protestant explanation about how God will  take a great number to heaven at the same time. They will just vanish and leave a remnant on earth until His second coming. 

“No. Not really. There is no Christian tradition of it and neither is it in the Bible. It is only taught by a few Protestant denominations. The Catholic Church has never taught it going back 2,000 years. Sooo…. no, I don’t.” 

I think I overwhelmed Alan with my answer. “But there will be a reckoning for all the evil in the world, don’t you think?” he quipped. “That there will be”, I said. “Evil has a stranglehold on the world. We need to be humble, repent, and ask for forgiveness.” He agreed. 

Alan seemed very honest, a deep thinker, and will put into practice what he thinks is right. He impressed me. I did not expect such a thinker. I pray his honest and open heart will let Our Lord’s grace in where it can extinguish his confusion and give him peace.