33rd
Sunday in Ordinary Time
Cycle
B
DN
12:1-3
Heb
10:11-14, 18
Mk
13:24-32
We are nearing the end of the liturgical year, and so
our readings take a turn to the future. At the end, we focus on the end. Jesus
spoke so many times of the end times, of the second coming of the Son of Man.
And to the Jews of the first century, this made perfect sense, because they
were people looking for deliverance. They were actively searching for a
messiah, someone who would deliver them from Roman oppression. One reason the
disciples believed Jesus to be the promised messiah was his constant references
to and predictions of the coming judgement. And that judgement was not one of
punishment but of restoring justice to the world. The judgement of the Son of
Man was the restoration of what once was, of setting things right.
Books like the Prophet Daniel and Revelation were
written during times of great persecution and distress. They use very symbolic
language not necessarily to explain what was happening to the people at that
time but to give them hope. Their distress was being caused by powerful
political forces, by the superpowers of their time. What the authors of these
books were trying to convey was the fact that no matter how mighty earthly
powers may be, God is more powerful. No matter how much the rulers of this
world think they are in control, God is actually the one calling the shots.
Take the first reading
for today, from the Book of Daniel. We heard about a time unsurpassed in
distress. We heard that Michael, our prince, the great archangel, joins us in
the battle against evil. The name Michael comes from three short Hebrew words:
Mi-Ka-El: Who Like God? The ancient
kings who ruled when Daniel was written were considered to be gods. So the prophet’s
response is Mi-Ka-El? Who is like God? The answer, of course, is no one. God is
the Source who has no source. He is the Light all light comes from. He is
the one in charge.
The reading speaks about
the end of time and the final judgement of the world. We heard that those whose
names are written in God's book will escape the destruction coming upon
mankind. We learned that the wise shall shine brightly and those who lead many
to justice will be like the stars forever.
Those who lead many to
justice will shine like the stars forever. This is where the readings about the
end of time become less about something we hope will be in the far future and
more about the way that we are living our faith now. We need to lead the many
to justice. Biblical justice is more than fair treatment in a courtroom. In the
bible, justice means living so united to God that our decisions reflect his presence.
We are called to lead
others to justice. We are called to help them see his presence in our actions,
our care for the poor, the struggling, the sick, and all who are dependent on
our compassion. Pope St. Paul VI, proclaimed, "If you want peace, work for
justice." This message has animated many areas of the Catholic Church,
particularly the Catholic Campaign for Human Development here in the United
States. The Catholic Campaign for Human Development, Catholic Relief Services, the
Diocesan Development Drive, missions in Haiti, Africa and throughout the world,
the Peace Corps, Doctors Without Borders, and so many other charitable
organizations are examples of the wise shining brightly. These organizations of
charity exist because there are people of faith in the world, people whose
faith is so strong that no matter what horrors have been or are being thrust
upon the world, they firmly believe that God will win the final battle against
evil.
Pope Benedict said,
"the question of justice constitutes the essential argument - or in any
case the strongest argument - in favor of faith in eternal life." True
justice may be rare in this life, but eternal life is justice itself. Jesus
will come to judge the living and the dead. In today's Gospel we see that after
judgment Jesus will gather his elect. If we begin with that end in mind, then wouldn’t
we want to know how we become part of the elect? That's the big question. In
some ways, the only question. We should want to live as children of the light.
Turn to God and renounce those things people do under the cover of darkness. We
all bear a burden of shame. Don't run from it; take it to Jesus. Turn to him.
As we hear in the second reading, he has offered one sacrifice for sin. In
Jesus we can make a new beginning.
The disciples were very concerned about the end times.
Mark’s gospel was the first written and that generation took Jesus at his word
that he would return before some of them had even died. When the apostles started
dying off they had to re-think Jesus’ words to see how they applied to them in
particular.
Of course, two thousand
years on, the people of today don't think like those early disciples. We tend
to have the opposite problem; our temptation today is to think that the world
will exist for thousands more years. Believing this we tend not to think too
much about the end of the world or even for that matter about the end of our
own lives. Like the disciples, we need to re-think Jesus’ words
to see how they apply to us in particular.
But we need to prepare
for our death, we need to put our lives in order, we need to confess our sins,
we need to get ourselves in shape from a spiritual point of view so that we are
ready to meet our maker whenever that day comes. But our death and the Final
Judgement, while it is something we need to prepare for, is not something that
we should be afraid of. Indeed, it is the very opposite, it is something we
should hope for, something we should rejoice in. Pessimism is not the Christian
attitude. Christians are optimists. Jesus Christ became one of us, died for us,
gave us his life, and offers a personal relationship to each of us. He actually
came so that we could be part of the elect.
This generation may or may not be around for the
second coming of Christ. However, we can experience the second coming in our
current life by keeping our eyes open and being aware of Jesus’ presence in our
lives each and every day. By living lives of justice we can bring the hope of
Jesus’ actual second coming to all those we come in contact with. That is the
role of a disciple, that is the good news of the gospel.
This Thanksgiving be grateful for the gift of justice.
This Advent and Christmas season commit yourself to performing works of
justice. Go to confession and be at peace. Give a little bit more to church and
charity. Surprise the people around you with simple gifts – a smile, a touch,
an unexpected phone call. Reconcile with an estranged friend or family member.
In a word, be the second coming of Jesus in their lives…for now.
