33rd
Ordinary Sunday (Year C)
First
Reading: Malachi 3:19-20a Second
Reading: 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12
Gospel Reading: 21:5-19
“THE
LORD COMES TO RULE THE EARTH WITH JUSTICE.”
The
story is told of a woman who left instructions for her children that
when she died they should place on her grave a parking meter that
read: “Time
expired.”
Today
is 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time and we
have come very close to the end of the Liturgical Year C. In fact,
the
Liturgical Cycle ends with the celebration of the feast of Christ the
King next Sunday. Appropriately enough,
as we rapidly approach the end of the Liturgical Year, “Time
expired”
is also our theme and at this time, the Church invites us to think
about the final end of things and the importance of endurance, for,
“The Lord comes
to rule the earth with justice.”
The
Scripture Readings of this second last Sunday are filled with
apocalyptic visions and warnings. They
also prepare us for the celebration of Christ as King of the universe
next Sunday.
The word 'apocalypse'
simply means an uncovering, a stripping to essentials. It is not a
prediction of the future, an excuse to judge others or to attempt to
escape the needs of the world here and now. It is the consolation
that God offers to us in our present needs/sufferings and
we have to persevere by remaining faithful to God, for only God and
His promises remain in the end.
“THERE
WILL ARISE THE SUN OF JUSTICE WITH HEALING RAYS.”
In
the First Reading of today from the Book of the prophet Malachi, the
author addresses the perennial problem, namely, why do evil-doers
prosper and the just suffer. What is the value of living just and
pious life when the irreligious people look down on the observance of
the law? The prophet is prophesying doom for evil-doers and is
sounding them the alarm. He tells them that the end of the world and
the day of judgment will be terrible for the evil-doers, but it will
be a joy for the faithful. On that day the tree will be completely
consumed by fire. Even the root will be reduced to ashes and will
have no chance to survive. Those who do evil will not get away with
it forever. Justice will surround them like a blazing oven. The
evildoers will be wiped off the face of the earth. When they die,
there will be no tombstone to mark their graves. Over time, their
existence will fade away from the memories of the passing generations
until such a time when no one will remember that they ever existed.
But for those who live in 'fear
of God's name,' the light of 'the
Day of the Lord' will be welcome like
the rising sun with its healing rays, i.e.
while the evil-doers are 'burning,'
the faithful will be warmed by 'the
sun of justice.' What a wonderful
image of protection! There is no need of fear whatsoever - the
faithful are assured of that no matter what happens.
“TEACHER,
WHEN WILL THIS HAPPEN?”
In
today’s Gospel Reading from St. Luke we find Jesus walking through
the Temple at Jerusalem built by Herod the Great, with his disciples
marveling at the building and it’s awesome beauty and power. The
Temple was one of the most impressive buildings in the world at that
time. In fact, the huge structure was not yet quite completed when
Jesus was there. To most Jews it was a place made to last forever. It
was, so to speak, the 'soul'
of the Jewish faith, the focal point for all Jews everywhere. It was
the heart and pride of all Jewish life; the very symbol of God’s
presence among them. But Jesus warns them that this great structure
wouldn’t last forever. In fact the day would come when the whole
splendid edifice will be destroyed, not a stone left upon a stone!
This must had come as a great shock to them, if not actually
blasphemous, and they ask him, “Teacher
when will this happen?”
But the Lord was clear about it, and that they shouldn’t be
disturbed by it all. Their faith needed to be rooted in something
greater than a building.
Now, the
announcement of the destruction of the Temple at Jerusalem is the
last discourse
of Jesus in Luke. It is quite near the end of his public life. And
Jesus, of course, was absolutely right. As the result of a rebellion
by the Jews against the Romans, Jerusalem was besieged and the city
and Temple utterly destroyed. The
unthinkable had happened. And, for many Jews, including Jews
converted to Christianity, it must have seemed like the end of the
world. Indeed the Gospel of today tells us about the fall of
Jerusalem. While Jesus was speaking of the fall of Jerusalem and the
destruction of the Temple, those who were with were associating this
event with the arrival of the Kingdom of God on earth. Many of Jesus’
followers recognized him as the Messiah and they wanted to crown him
as their King. So when Jesus spoke of destruction or anything that
could be associated with war, his followers assumed that the day was
near when Jesus would rule over them and the Roman domination would
come to an end. They did not and could not comprehend the mission of
Jesus and that the Kingdom of Jesus was not of this world. The
Kingdom that he preached was a spiritual kingdom. Jesus while telling
the disciples of the events to come tells them also that while
waiting for these great moments to come, they must persevere in their
living faith and in their fidelity to him.
Then, Jesus
goes on to talk about the end of the world
which would be preceded by all kinds of natural and man-made
calamities like - wars, earthquakes, famines etc. The
language that Jesus uses is the apocalyptic language of the time.
Jesus warns his followers not to be
deceived about the end of the world. But before all these would take
place, Jesus cautions his disciples that false prophets would come
forward identifying themselves to be the long-awaited Messiah to
lead the faithful astray, "Many
will come in my name, claiming, 'I
am he,'
and, 'The
time is near.'
Do not follow them." But
Jesus says such people are not to be trusted and must be ignored. Let
us take a
closer look at the false prophets against whom Jesus warned us about.
How
come such false prophets pop out now and then from nowhere? They
claim that they can read the 'signs
of the times'
and thus 'infallibly'
predict to the year, month, day and hour when the end will come. Even
in our own times, we saw how many people got excited about the year
2000. Obviously, such leaders manipulate the fears of people, and
their basis is their literal interpretation of the end of world
scenarios found in the Bible, so
that when such events take place, they see in them the fulfillment of
Jesus' prediction.
Finally,
Jesus says something more to his own followers that there are some
special things in store for them and they must not be surprised at
them. He speaks of the possible persecution and hatred which people
will show towards them. When Jesus speaks of the persecutions
awaiting his disciples, he consoles them saying that they should not
be anxious about how they are to behave or what they are to say in
such times. He even gives them the confidence and tells them that
they are not even to prepare their defense, because amidst
all these, Jesus himself will give them eloquence and a wisdom
that none of their opponents will be able to resist or contradict.
Now,
many of the early Christians thought that persecution was also a sign
of the coming end of the world. Jesus, however, reminds us that it is
an integral part of the Church’s ongoing life. Christianity and
persecution will go hand in hand. And so it has been. What then is
the proper Christian attitude in the midst of these realities? The
message of Jesus is loud and clear. It should be that of hopeful
endurance, knowing that God’s goodness will triumph over evil, and
faith will overcome fear and suffering. He tells us strongly that we
ought to remain close to him and be firm in our faith and the
ultimate victory will be ours. This is not simply a utopian
promise.
AWAITING
THE FINAL RETURN OF CHRIST:
Now,
St. Paul had won many converts in the city of Thessalonica by
speaking of 'the end of
the world.' He seriously believed that
it was coming soon and pressed his listeners on this point. There was
a strong reaction, but one with unexpected weaknesses. Many of the
people figured that since the end was coming soon, they should spend
their last days in prayer. Hence they quit their jobs and focused on
meditation. Why build and plant if this world is about to be
destroyed, they asked themselves. This won Christians a bad
reputation.
In
the Second Reading of today from his 2nd
Letter to the Thessalonians, St. Paul commands and exhorts everyone
in the community to do their work quietly and to earn their own
living and not be a burden on anyone. Admonishing the disorderly, he
tells them that if they are unwilling to work, they should not eat.
He gives them his own example to show how he toiled day and night to
earn his livelihood and never depended on them. He was a tent-maker
by profession and earned enough from this work to pay for his own
needs and those of his co-workers. Even though he did his ministry
and worked for the people of God he lived by his own hard work. St.
Paul,
being concerned about the community and the misunderstanding of the
teaching of the Lord, wanted simply to re-establish the order and
overcome the dissipation that had set in. Also, his
making tents shows us that our concern for the future should be
grounded in the present. What we should be concerned with is how we
actively live our present calling, while
awaiting
the final return of Christ
that will proceed the resurrection of the bodies and the Judgment
Day.
CONCLUSION:
To
conclude: Yes, there will be an end of time. To
many people the end of the world is tragic. Christianity, however,
thinks otherwise. It is not an end but rather a beginning - an event
not to be afraid of. Our fear is natural because of the unknown but
our fear could also mask a lack of firm belief in the resurrection.
The Gospel tells us
that we are to get ready for that day when God will call us to
himself. Our faith tells us that there is no need to live in fear and
anxiety regarding the future. Rather, we are to focus on the present
time, on today, the here and now. Jesus promises his followers
abundant sufferings and persecutions. If they bear the sufferings for
Christ’s name they will earn the true life, the eternal life of
heaven. For this reason the Church wants us to examine ourselves
today regarding the response we have to such circumstances. We are
invited to seek and find him in all things, in every person, in every
place, in every experience. He will come surely in his glory and
majesty to judge the whole human race, as we hear in today's
Responsorial Psalm, “The
Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.”
So, we are called upon to prepare ourselves for the future by loving
and serving others at every possible occasion. Today’s Gospel
Reading is prophetic in nature and was applied to the days of Jesus.
But it is also applicable to us in today’s situation. It invites us
to be prepared to receive the Lord worthily without any fear. We are
called to persevere in our living faith and look forward in hope.
Not knowing when our individual time
will expire is not meant to frighten a person—unless they need
to be frightened to live a good life - but it should motivate us to
be prepared. It should give us hope in any type of trial; that our
time and trial now is temporary, but eternity is forever. Embracing
this way of living gives us hope and confidence, that no matter when
we have our time
expires, our
lives are secure. The world and its false securities are passing
realities. In the end, the love of God is all that remains. That love
is reciprocal; God has loved his human creatures and awaits a loving
response. He comes to assist us, making our response possible and
helping us to persevere in that loving response until the end. And
this is the Good News of today.
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