For the day of the LORD is coming;
Yes, it is near, a day of darkness and of gloom,
a day of clouds and somberness! (Joel 1:13-15;2:1-2)

The Day of the Lord in the prophet Joel is terrifying. But as today’s psalm reminds us: The Lord will judge the world with justice (Psalm 9:2-3,6;16:8-9). Perhaps, the old Corporal Works of Mercy might come in handy on the Day of the Lord: to feed the hungry, to give water to the thirsty, to clothe the naked, to shelter the homeless, to visit the sick, to visit the imprisoned, to bury the dead. As the Profession of Faith reminds us, there will be a final exam . . . “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.”