2019년 11월 17일 연중 제33주일(세계 가난한 이의 날)
오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp
제1독서
말라키 예언서. 3,19-20ㄴ
19 보라, 화덕처럼 불붙는 날이 온다. 거만한 자들과 악을 저지르는 자들은 모두 검불이 되리니, 다가오는 그날이 그들을 불살라 버리리라. － 만군의 주님께서 말씀하신다. － 그날은 그들에게 뿌리도, 가지도 남겨 두지 않으리라. 20 그러나 나의 이름을 경외하는 너희에게는 의로움의 태양이 날개에 치유를 싣고 떠오르리라.
제2독서
복음
루카. 21,5-19
그때에 5 몇몇 사람이 성전을 두고, 그것이 아름다운 돌과 자원 예물로 꾸며졌다고 이야기하자, 예수님께서 이르셨다. 6 “너희가 보고 있는 저것들이, 돌 하나도 다른 돌 위에 남아 있지 않고 다 허물어질 때가 올 것이다.”
7 그들이 예수님께 물었다. “스승님, 그러면 그런 일이 언제 일어나겠습니까? 또 그 일이 벌어지려고 할 때에 어떤 표징이 나타나겠습니까?”
8 예수님께서 이르셨다. “너희는 속는 일이 없도록 조심하여라. 많은 사람이 내 이름으로 와서, ‘내가 그리스도다.’, 또 ‘때가 가까웠다.’ 하고 말할 것이다. 그들 뒤를 따라가지 마라.
9 그리고 너희는 전쟁과 반란이 일어났다는 소문을 듣더라도 무서워하지 마라. 그러한 일이 반드시 먼저 벌어지겠지만, 그것이 바로 끝은 아니다.”
10 이어서 그들에게 말씀하셨다. “민족과 민족이 맞서 일어나고, 나라와 나라가 맞서 일어나며, 11 큰 지진이 발생하고, 곳곳에 기근과 전염병이 생길 것이다. 그리고 하늘에서는 무서운 일들과 큰 표징들이 일어날 것이다.
12 그러나 이 모든 일에 앞서, 사람들이 너희에게 손을 대어 박해할 것이다. 너희를 회당과 감옥에 넘기고, 내 이름 때문에 너희를 임금들과 총독들 앞으로 끌고 갈 것이다. 13 이러한 일이 너희에게는 증언할 기회가 될 것이다.
14 그러나 너희는 명심하여, 변론할 말을 미리부터 준비하지 마라. 15 어떠한 적대자도 맞서거나 반박할 수 없는 언변과 지혜를 내가 너희에게 주겠다.
16 부모와 형제와 친척과 친구들까지도 너희를 넘겨, 더러는 죽이기까지 할 것이다. 17 그리고 너희는 내 이름 때문에 모든 사람에게 미움을 받을 것이다. 18 그러나 너희는 머리카락 하나도 잃지 않을 것이다. 19 너희는 인내로써 생명을 얻어라.”
November 17, 2019
Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Daily Mass : http://www.catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass
Reading 1
Lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven,
when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble,
and the day that is coming will set them on fire,
leaving them neither root nor branch,
says the LORD of hosts.
But for you who fear my name, there will arise
the sun of justice with its healing rays.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (cf. 9) The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.
Sing praise to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
sing joyfully before the King, the LORD.
R. The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.
Let the sea and what fills it resound,
the world and those who dwell in it;
let the rivers clap their hands,
the mountains shout with them for joy.
R. The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.
Before the LORD, for he comes,
for he comes to rule the earth,
He will rule the world with justice
and the peoples with equity.
R. The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.
Reading 2
Brothers and sisters:
You know how one must imitate us.
For we did not act in a disorderly way among you,
nor did we eat food received free from anyone.
On the contrary, in toil and drudgery, night and day
we worked, so as not to burden any of you.
Not that we do not have the right.
Rather, we wanted to present ourselves as a model for you,
so that you might imitate us.
In fact, when we were with you,
we instructed you that if anyone was unwilling to work,
neither should that one eat.
We hear that some are conducting themselves among you in a
disorderly way,
by not keeping busy but minding the business of others.
Such people we instruct and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly
and to eat their own food.
Gospel
While some people were speaking about
how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings,
Jesus said, "All that you see here--
the days will come when there will not be left
a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down."
Then they asked him,
"Teacher, when will this happen?
And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?"
He answered,
"See that you not be deceived,
for many will come in my name, saying,
'I am he,’ and 'The time has come.’
Do not follow them!
When you hear of wars and insurrections,
do not be terrified; for such things must happen first,
but it will not immediately be the end."
Then he said to them,
"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues
from place to place;
and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.
"Before all this happens, however,
they will seize and persecute you,
they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons,
and they will have you led before kings and governors
because of my name.
It will lead to your giving testimony.
Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand,
for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking
that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.
You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends,
and they will put some of you to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.
By your perseverance you will secure your lives."
http://evangeli.net/gospel/tomorrow
«Take care not to be deceived»
+ Fr. Joan MARQUÉS i Suriñach
(Vilamarí, Girona, Spain)
Today, the Gospel speaks to us of the last coming of the Son of man. The liturgical year is about to end and the Church presents the “parusia” to us, while at the same time the Church wants us to think of our last days: death, judgment, hell or heaven. A journey destination conditions its planning. If you wish to go to hell, you will be able to behave in a given way according to the end point of your trip. If you opt for heaven, instead, you will have to be coherent with the Glory you are trying to attain. Always, freely. Nobody goes to hell by force; or to heaven, either. God is fair, and gives everyone the deserved prize, nothing more nothing less. He does not punish or bestow honors at random, driven by sympathy or dislike. He respects our freedom. We must bear in mind, though, that when leaving this world, we will not be any more free to choose. The tree will remain fallen by the side it came down.
«To die in mortal sin without repenting and accepting God's merciful love means remaining separated from him for ever by our own free choice» (Catechism of the Church n. 1033).
Can you imagine the greatness of the spectacle? Men and women of all races and all times, with our resurrected body and soul, to appear before Jesus Christ, who is presiding over the ceremony with great power and majesty. He will come to judge us in front of everybody else. If getting in would not be for free, it would still be worthwhile... The truth of all actions, whether innermost or outer, will then be known. We shall then find out whom do monies, sons, books, projects and everything else, belong to: «The days will come when there shall not be left one stone upon another of all that you now admire; all will be torn down» (Lk 21:6). Days of joy and glory for some; days of shame and sadness for others. Whatever you do not want publicly to appear then, you can delete it now through a well-made confession. You cannot improvise such a solemn and compromising act. Jesus already warns us: «Take care not to be deceived, for many will come claiming my title» (Lk 21:8). Are you ready now?
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
As we come to the end of the liturgical year, these end-times readings invite me sit with the questions: What does God’s justice look like? What does God’s justice feel like, to me?
In scripture, over and over, God’s justice is often upside-down to my sense of fairness. God seems most unfair when I fall into looking at my actions like an ethical business exchange: I did “A” for God / my fellow humans / the earth, so God owes me “B.” (Often I find I have decided what I am owed without talking much to God.) If God doesn’t give me “B,” it feels as though God is unjust. If I lose “C,” it feels even worse. That’s not how God’s justice works, Jesus tells us. God’s justice lifts up the poor; holds servants in highest esteem; forgives the unforgiveable; loves when it hurts most to love.
Both the first reading and Gospel describe God’s justice as one experience from different perspectives. Justice is a sun: it destroys with a blazing heat and heals with rays of light. Justice is witness to God: it leads to martyrdom and eternal life. With end-times readings I always come back to C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce, my favorite allegory of the afterlife. In it, when people arrive in heaven, even the softest grass in heaven feels like knives to their feet: it is more real than they are. Those who let go of what is not real (that is, not of God) enter fully into God’s reality, and the grass feels soft. In the same way, perhaps the “sun of justice” burns away what is not of God. I would feel destroyed if my entire identity were wrapped up in something that is not of God, even in something beautiful that I seek to own (like the temple in the Gospel). But, if my identity were wrapped up in a relationship with God, I would feel healed with the removal of whatever distracted from that relationship. Jesus reminds us similarly in the Gospel: don’t get too attached to the present state of the world - even the beautiful parts, even your life here - because it all pales in comparison to the life God has in mind.
How, then, can I cultivate a disposition from which to meet God’s justice and feel healed rather than destroyed? I’d need to align my identity with God’s idea of justice, rather than my own. I’d need to practice mercy, to forgive others and myself. I’d need to practice love, to choose the good of another. I’d need to practice service, to meet people who awaken my compassion and grow in kinship with them. As my own ability to empathize and feel compassion grows, I will begin to see people as precious, the way God does. I will come to know that others’ healing is my healing, too. Maybe then the sun of justice will feel like healing rays.
I wish I could share the song “Hearts on Fire” by M.D. Ridge and Timothy Smith, but a recording is not publicly available. Instead, please enjoy “Find Us Ready” by Tom Booth. We’re singing both at St. John’s this weekend.
http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp
THE END ZONE | ||
| "These things you are contemplating � the day will come when not one stone will be left on another, but it will all be torn down." �Luke 21:6 | ||
Jesus combined predicting the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. with predicting the end of the world. He did this because there will be marked similarities between the two catastrophes. Also, Jesus' accuracy regarding the fall of Jerusalem indicates the credibility of His revelations regarding the end of the world. Jesus revealed many more details regarding the end of the world than He revealed about most other aspects of His plan. He did this to underline the fact that the end of the world is literally true and to help us prepare for it. Jesus gave us the details because we need them. One of the most important details Jesus gave about the end of the world is: "By patient endurance you will save your lives" (Lk 21:19). We can persevere through the most savage persecution of the Church ever (see Lk 21:12), through the worst apostasy ever (2 Thes 2:3-12), and through the worst tribulation ever (Mk 13:19) because we have accepted the grace not to be proud but to fear the name of the Lord (Mal 3:19-20). This humble fear of the Lord is the beginning of love (see Dt 6:2-5). "Love covers a multitude of sins" (1 Pt 4:8) and leads us through the calamities of the end of the world into perfect, everlasting love in heaven. The world will certainly end, as Jesus said. Learn what Jesus has revealed about it. Live and persevere in love so as to live forever with the Lord. | ||
| Prayer: Father, I want to be ready always. | ||
| Promise: "But for you who fear My name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays." —Mal 3:20 | ||
| Praise: "You put to death the Author of life. But God raised him from the dead, and we are his witnesses" (Acts 3:15). Praise the risen Jesus! |
http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/
"Take heed that you are not led astray"
How would you respond if someone prophesied that your home, land, or place of worship would be destroyed? Jesus foretold many signs that would shake peoples and nations. The signs which God uses are meant to point us to a higher spiritual truth and reality of his kingdom which does not perish or fade away, but endures for all eternity. God works through many events and signs to purify and renew us in hope and to help us set our hearts more firmly on him and him alone.
First signs of the end times
To the great consternation of the Jews, Jesus prophesied the destruction of their great temple at Jerusalem. The Jewish people took great pride in their temple, a marvel of the ancient world. The foretelling of this destruction was a dire warning of spiritual judgment in itself. They asked Jesus for a sign that would indicate when this disastrous event would occur. Jesus admonished them to not look for signs that would indicate the exact timing of impending destruction, but rather to pray for God's intervention of grace and mercy.
Jesus said there would be many signs of impending conflicts and disasters - such as wars, famines, diseases, tidal waves, and earthquakes - which would precede the struggles of the last days when God's anointed King would return to usher in the full reign of God over the earth. In that day when the Lord returns there will be a final judgement of the living and the dead when the secrets of every heart will be brought to light (Luke 12:2-3; Romans 2:16).
Jesus foretells the destruction of the Temple at Jerusalem
Jesus' prophecy of the destruction of the temple at Jerusalem was a two-edged sword, because it pointed not only to God's judgment, but also to his saving action and mercy. Jesus foretold the destruction of Jerusalem and the dire consequences for all who would reject him and his saving message. While the destruction of Jerusalem's temple was determined (it was razed by the Romans in 70 A.D.), there remained for its inhabitants a narrow open door leading to deliverance. Jesus said: "I am the door; whoever enters by me will be saved" (John 10:9). Jesus willingly set his face toward Jerusalem, knowing that he would meet betrayal, rejection, and death on a cross. His death on the cross, however, brought about true freedom, peace, and victory over the powers of sin, evil, and death - not only for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, but for all - both Jew and Gentile alike – who would accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Do you know the peace and security of a life submitted to the lordship of Jesus Christ?
We need to recognize the signs of God's judgment, mercy, and grace to save us
Sometimes we don't recognize the moral crisis and spiritual conflict of the age in which we live, until something "shakes us up" to the reality of this present condition. God reminds us that a future judgment and outcome awaits every individual who has lived on this earth. The reward for doing what is right and pleasing to God and the penalty for sinful rebellion and rejection of God are not always experienced in this present life - but they are sure to come in the day of final judgment.
The Lord Jesus tells us that there will be trials, suffering, and persecution in this present age until he comes again at the end of the world. God intends our anticipation of his final judgment to be a powerful deterrent to unfaithfulness and wrongdoing. God extends grace and mercy to all who will heed his call and his warning. Do not pass up, even for one day, God's invitation of grace and mercy to seek first his kingdom of righteousness and peace. This day may be your only chance before that final day comes.
Satan destroys and kills - God restores and gives life
The real enemy of the Gospel - the good news of Jesus Christ - is Satan (also called Lucifer), the powerful leader of the fallen angels who rebelled against God and who were cast out of heaven. Satan opposes God and all who follow his rule of peace and righteousness (moral goodness) on the earth. Jesus calls Satan a "murderer" who turns brother against brother and the "father of lies" who twists the truth and speaks falsehood (John 8:44). Satan not only opposes God's rule, he seeks to destroy all who would obey God. Satan will use any means possible to turn people away from God. He tempts people through envy, deception, hatred, and fear to provoke hostility towards those who follow the Lord Jesus Christ.
What is Jesus' response to hostility and persecution? Love, forbearance, and forgiveness. only love - the love which is rooted in God's great compassion and faithfulness - can overcome prejudice, hatred, and envy. God's love purifies our heart and mind of all that would divide and tear people apart. Knowing God as our compassionate Father and loving God's word of truth and righteousness (moral goodness) is essential for overcoming evil. Jesus tells us that we do not need to fear those who would oppose us or treat us harshly for following the Lord Jesus. He promises to give us supernatural strength, wisdom, and courage as we take a stand for our faith and witness to the truth and love of Christ.
The Gospel is good news for the whole world because it is God's eternal word of truth, love, pardon, and salvation (being set free from sin and evil) through his Son, Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus has won the victory for us through his atoning death on the cross for our sins and his rising from the grave - his resurrection power that brings abundant life and restoration for us. That is why the Gospel has power to set people free from sin, fear and death, and bring peace, pardon, and new life.
Endurance never gives up hope in God
Jesus tells his disciples that if they endure to the end they will gain their lives - they will inherit abundant life and lasting happiness with God. Endurance is an essential strength which God gives to those who put their trust in him. Endurance is the patience which never gives up hope, never yields to despair or hatred. Patience is long-suffering because it looks beyond the present difficulties and trials and sees the reward which comes to those who persevere with hope and trust in God. That is why godly endurance is more than human effort. It is first and foremost a supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit which enables us to bear up under any trial or temptation.
Endurance is linked with godly hope - the supernatural assurance that we will see God face to face and inherit all the promises he has made. Jesus is our supreme model and pioneer who endured the cross for our sake (Hebrews 12:2). "God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Jesus willingly shed his blood for us - to win for us pardon and peace with God. Our joy and privilege is to take up our cross each day to follow the Lord Jesus.
True martyrs live and die as witnesses of Christ and the Gospel of peace
The word "martyr" in the New Testament Greek means "witness". The Book of Revelation says that "Jesus was the faithful witness ...who freed us from our sins by his blood" (Revelation 1:5). Tertullian, a second century lawyer who converted when he saw Christians singing as they went out to die by the hands of their persecutors, exclaimed: "The blood of the martyrs is seed." Their blood is the seed of new Christians, the seed of the church.
The third century bishop, Cyprian said: "When persecution comes, God's soldiers are put to the test, and heaven is open to martyrs. We have not enlisted in an army to think of peace and to decline battle, for we see that the Lord has taken first place in the conflict." True martyrs live and die as witnesses of the Gospel. They overcome their enemies through persevering hope and courage, undying love and forbearance, kindness, goodness, and compassion.
God may call some of us to be martyrs who shed their blood for bearing witness to Jesus Christ. But for most of us, our call is to be 'dry' martyrs who bear testimony to the joy and power of the Gospel in the midst of daily challenges, contradictions, temptations and adversities which come our way as we follow the Lord Jesus.
We do not need to fear our adversaries
What will attract others to the truth and power of the Gospel? When they see Christians loving their enemies, being joyful in suffering, patient in adversity, pardoning injuries, and showing comfort and compassion to the hopeless and the helpless. Jesus tells us that we do not need to fear our adversaries. God will give us sufficient grace, strength, and wisdom to face any trial and to answer any challenge to our faith. Are you ready to lay down your life for Christ and to bear witness to the joy and freedom of the Gospel?
"Lord Jesus Christ, by your atoning death on the cross you have redeemed the world. Fill me with joyful hope, courage, and boldness to witness the truth of your love for sinners and your victory over the powers of sin, Satan, and death."
Psalm 98:5-9
5 Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody!
6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD!
7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it!
8 Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together
9 before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: First signs of the end times, by Maximus of Turin (died between 408-423 AD)
"Perhaps you are anxious, brothers and sisters, at the fact that we hear constantly of the tumult of wars and the onsets of battles. Perhaps your love is still more anxious since these are taking place in our times. The reason is the closer we are to the destruction of the world, the closer we are to the kingdom of the Savior. The Lord himself says, 'In the last days nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. When you see wars, earthquakes and famines, know that the kingdom of God is at hand.'This nearness of wars shows us that Christ is near." (excerpt from SERMON 85.1)
http://www.homilies.net/
33 Ordinary Time
33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle C
Luke 21:5-19
I was pulling out from the curb. Then I noticed a police ticket on my windshield. I pulled over. Happily it was not a ticket but a pamphlet. It invited me to consider where I wanted to spend eternity. Inside the pamphlet was a laboriously written note with many misspellings. It warned me about the imminent arrival of the Second Coming.
I have smiled patronizingly at people who hand out such end- of-the-world pamphlets and messages. I fear my attitude matched that of Mark Twain's. When told the world was coming to an end, he snapped, "Good. We can do without it."
However, my patronizing days are done. The late Scripture scholar Raymond Brown advises that end-of-the-world people perform a valuable service for us. They keep the Second Coming before our eyes.
People such as these forcefully remind us of our own belief. After all, in each Sunday's Liturgy we recite in the Nicene Creed, "He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead." After the Consecration, we say, "Christ has died, Christ has risen, and Christ will come again." Finally in the Pater Noster we pray for the Second Coming in the prayer Jesus Himself taught us. We even beg, "Thy kingdom come." Rightly so! Pierre Teilhard de Chardin tells us "we must renew in ourselves the desire for the great coming."
We share faith in the Parousia with a good number of our fellow citizens. A US News and World Report tells of a poll it conducted. Almost sixty percent of Americans believe the world is slated to come to an abrupt ending. About fifty percent are convinced there will be an anti-Christ. Twenty percent believe the Second Coming and anti-Christ will appear in a few years.
We would be unwise to get into the predicting business. Many religious groups in our lifetime have grandly prophesied both the day, hour, and minute. For their efforts they have come up with scrambled eggs spread most ignobly across their respective faces. We had best take the advice of Jesus we know not the day nor the hour. Indeed the prophet advises, "Plan then as if Christ's return were years away, but live as though it were today.
The Fifth Lateran Council of the early sixteenth century expressly forbade anyone of us looking into a crystal ball. It denied us the questionable luxury of predicting either the time of the Second Coming or the arrival of the anti-Christ. It was a sound prohibition then. It remains so today no matter what the temptation may be to the contrary. Vincent McCorry put it this way, "What matters is not the timing but the fact."
In the meantime, we Christians have much to do. Unlike the people who St Paul sternly admonishes in his second letter to the Thessalonians (3:7-12), we cannot idle our time away. Nor can we afford the luxury, as Paul says, of minding everybody's business but our own.
We must attempt to become more exciting Catholics. one way of doing that is by making the world about us a more attractive place to live in. Charles Dickens has said that no one is useless in the world who lightens the burden of it for someone else. But Dickens would endorse the line that true love is an action, not just a feeling.
It is estimated that thirty three million Americans are poor. And perhaps as many as another thirty million are on the ropes financially. Many of these are children.
That so many of our fellow citizens, some of them infants, go to bed hungry each night is a scandal we Catholics cannot ignore. We must demand systemic changes in our structures. But more importantly we must work for them.
To be a Catholic today requires that we be a counter-cultural people. What a force for good we could be! We make up an astounding 23% of the US population.
Perhaps you may find your mandate in this summation written by some clever author. "It is up to you to illumine the area about you. You do not have to groan over everything your community lacks. You are there to bring it what it needs. Where hatred, malice, and discord reign, you will put love, pardon, and peace. For lying you will bring truth. For despair, hope. For doubt, faith. There where there is sadness, you will give joy."
Frjoeshomilies.net
33 Ordinary Time
Msgr. Joseph A. Pellegrino
Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time: Running with the Lord
I was in Publix this week, and I noticed that they were selling Christmas stuff, cookies, ornaments, etc. Then I got back to the office to learn that our parish Christmas cards have just come in. Discouraging isn't it?
Two weeks from now the season of Advent will begin. That's when the most important preparation begins. That is the preparation for celebrating the spiritual becoming physical. Since Advent is about the two comings of Christ, in Bethlehem and at the end of time, the readings this week and next week, the Solemnity of Christ the King, eases us into Advent by speaking about the Second Coming and the end of the world.
We begin with the prophecy of last Book of the Hebrew scriptures, Malachi. The prophet who called himself Malachi or God's messenger, wrote about 450 years before Christ. He concealed his identity because he leveled some sharp reproaches against the Temple priests and leaders of the people. The people had fallen into religious indifference. They had compromised their faith and taken on immoral lifestyles. Still, their lives flourished. They were very much like many modern day Americans. So many people, so many times we, fall into religious indifference. It is not that we reject God, we just tend to ignore Him. Perhaps we have too much, too much to distract us from remembering much we need God. To all who are tempted to just go along with the immoral lifestyle that surrounds us and smothers us Malachi says:
"See, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble; the day that comes shall burn them up, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who revere my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall."
In today’s Gospel, from Luke, Jesus speaks directly about the end of time. He uses apocalyptical language, the language of the Book of Revelation. This is a language that is somewhere between prose and poetry. It is meant to stir up emotions, to get people involved. Jesus looks at the Temple. The Gospel of Luke began in the Temple with the story of the annunciation of the Birth of John the Baptist to John's father, Zachary, a Temple priest, as he offered incense in the Holy of Holies, the most sacred part of the Temple. The Temple was the place that Simeon and Anna rejoiced at the Birth of Jesus and prophesied about his life and death. Jesus was found in the Temple as an adolescent. In the Gospel of Luke the Temple is the sight for Jesus' final teachings, of which today's gospel is a central part.
The Temple was the joy of the People of Israel. Its stones were inlaid with jewels. The disciples marveled at it. Jesus wept. He said it would be torn down, as it was in the year 70 AD. There is a section of the Temple still standing. It’s called the Wailing Wall. People still go there and mourn the fate of the Jewish people, and the fate of all who are persecuted. (By the way, the Wailing Wall is actually not a wall, but a support structure, part of the foundation.)
Jesus told the disciples that the Temple would be torn down because all material things come to an end sooner or later. Then the disciples asked the big question, the question that so many people want to know: When? Every year self- proclaimed prophets come out of the woodwork telling people that they have an answer to this question. Every year newspapers carry advertisement from materialistic self- proclaimed prophets with supposed reasons why the world is coming to an end in a few days, months or years. Of course, to help them get the word out they leave an address where donations to support this "ministry" can be sent.
When? Everyone wants to know when. No one wants to hear what Jesus says in the Gospel of Matthew 24:36: "But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."
“So,” Jesus says in today's Gospel, “Don't fall for anyone telling you when the end of the world is coming: whether it is a priest or a preacher, a self-proclaimed prophet or a spiritual writer, don't fall for it.” There are many people out there who try to take advantage of you. They will stir you up to paying big bucks to help ensure your salvation. The only thing you will be ensuring is that they meet next month's payment on their Bentleys. As soon as you hear the words, "The time is now!" remember Jesus' words in today's Gospel, 'Don't follow them." As soon as you hear someone say that his or her followers will be saved from the final destruction of the world, avoid them like the plague. Jesus says, "For many will come in my name and say, 'I am he!' and, 'The time is near!' Do not go after them. They will mislead you."
Jesus absolutely refuses to say when the end of time will come. All he will tell us is that there are signs of the end. Wars and insurrections are typical and bound to happen, but the end will not follow these immediately. Jesus says "there will be earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven." Does he mean the nuclear bomb? Perhaps, perhaps not. Jesus' point is that his true followers should not be concerned about when the end is, they should only be concerned that they are ready for the end so they can take it in stride.
And that is what is at the heart of the apocalyptical predictions of the end of time. We need to have a lifestyle that is a continual stride to the Lord. I used to run long distance races, and I used to coach high school cross country and distance runners. Any distance runner or coach will tell you, you don't reach your goal of a fast time or winning an award with a sudden burst of speed at the beginning of the race and a huge sprint at the end, but only running evenly through most of the race. You need a constant strong stride. It is the same regarding our lives. We achieve our goal with the constant steady pace towards God. It is pace, the Christian lifestyle that puts us in the position to win the spiritual award.
Yes, the world will come to an end, but we have no cause for panic. only those who ignore the Lord, the people Malachi spoke to in his day and in our day, people of religious indifference and immoral lifestyles, need to panic. The rest of us should just ask ourselves: Is my pace good? Am I striding towards my God? Do I need to pick up the pace a little bit particularly through confession and a renewed prayer life. Am I ready for the end?
We conclude the Our Father with “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” What we are asking is for God to run with us and keep us from being so overwhelmed by the sin around us that we give in. And so we pray that He deliver us from evil.
Today we pray for the courage to put God first in our lives and to make him the goal of our existence. May we always run with the Lord.
Stmaryvalleybloom.org
* Available in Spanish - see Spanish Homilies
33 Ordinary Time
This World is Dissolving
Bottom line: This world is dissolving but a new world awaits us. "By your perseverance," Jesus says, "you will secure your lives."
Since June (you might remember) we've been on a road trip to Jerusalem. Well, we've arrived. The disciple stand in awe before the temple. Jesus, however, shocks them:
"All that you see here-- the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down"
In four decades - 70 A.D. to be exact - the Romans suppressed the Jewish Revolt and in the process tore down the Temple.
For the Jewish people the Temple was more than a place of worship. It provided a focus for their nation and it represented the universe itself. The Holy of Holies signifies heaven. The veil in front of that inner sanctuary had four colors that correspond to the four elements - earth, air, water and fire. The seven branches of the lampstand evoke the seven ancient "planets" and the twelve loaves the months of the year. To destroy the temple was like bringing down the cosmos itself.
Like the people who listened to Jesus, we live in the end times. When I was child in the fifties, we knew that the U.S. or Russia could unleash nuclear weapons at any moment. That fear has receded. Today we more worry about ecological disasters like Jesus describes:
"There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky. "
Whatever catastrophe await us, Jesus says that before those things happen, persecutions will come. They don't get much news coverage, but Christians do face persecution in many nations. In our own country we see a growing hatred for followers of Christ.
How do we respond to all this? St. Paul gives sensible advice: "Work quietly". He reminds the Thessalonians that when he was with them he worked day and night "in toil and drudgery".
Quiet work can involve taking small steps to improve the environment - as Pope Francis has encouraged. It also includes prayers for those who govern our world. Above all, do not fall into discouragement. That seems to be the biggest temptation today, just to give up. That would be a fatal mistake. Jesus tells us we have the help of the Holy Spirit in our trials. This world is dissolving but a new world is emerging through God's power. With all this happening, Jesus tells to no be afraid, but rather keep on keeping on:
"You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives." Amen.
Alexmcallister.co.uk
33 Ordinary Time
Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
I think it is important to place today's extract from St Luke's Gospel in context. Jesus has by this point arrived in Jerusalem. He entered the Holy City on a donkey and was acclaimed by his followers as the Messiah. He then spends the next few days teaching in the Temple and we are told that he spent his nights on the Mount of Olives. His teaching has become more apocalyptic and he predicts the destruction of the Temple and weeps over Jerusalem. It is in this context that he gives this warning to his disciples to be on their guard and prepare themselves for persecution.
Immediately after spending these few days in the Temple he tells his disciples to prepare the Upper Room and then he goes there to celebrate the Last Supper with them and then the events of his arrest, trial and death on the Cross take place. These last days that Jesus spends in Jerusalem were filled with significance for Jesus. He knows that this is the last opportunity he is going to get to prepare his disciples to face what is to come. He wants to prepare them for the experiences that await them and he wants to warn them what to expect as they undertake the task of building up the Church.
Jesus knows that the disciples will meet with severe persecutions and that many of his followers will face martyrdom. He wants to strengthen them to face these attacks from their enemies and from the civil authorities and he assures them that despite these attacks they will be vindicated and will ultimately receive the crown of glory.
In the text Jesus first of all predicts the destruction of the Temple and we know from our history books that this took place in the year 70 AD. There had been a series of riots by the Judeans because of excessive taxation and increased religious tensions as a result of the looting of the Temple by the Roman Governor. In 66 AD, however, the rebels finally took control of Jerusalem. The Romans and their sympathisers fled and regrouped outside the territory occupied by the Judeans. A Roman Legion was dispatched from Syria but they then lost an important battle against the rebels and 6,000 Roman soldiers were massacred. The Emperor Nero then sent Vespasian and his son Titus to sort things out and to re-conquer the territory. Incidentally, both Vespasian and his son would become Emperors in their turn.
After some time, the Romans reached Jerusalem and besieged it for over four months. Inevitably, of course, as a result of overwhelming force they managed to conquer the city. Although it was not actually the intention of Titus to destroy the Temple it caught fire and nothing could be done to save it. The Jewish resistance was crushed and much of the city was destroyed in the process. An enormous number of people were killed and it is claimed that 97,000 Jews were sold into slavery and a significant number of fit men were forced to become gladiators and ended their life in the arena.
So, you can see that this war with the Romans was a complete and total disaster for the Jews and it was what ultimately led to their exile from Palestine; many of them ending up in Eastern Europe or Russia and another significant group spreading to the countries of North Africa.
In the text today we can see how Jesus predicted these events. As he says, 'the time will come when not a single stone will be left on another: everything will be destroyed.' The disciples ask when this will happen but he does not answer them. Instead he tells them to prepare themselves for what is to come and for the persecutions that they themselves will inevitably face as a result of embracing the Gospel.
Jesus tells his followers that when they are seized and handed over to the courts it will be their opportunity to bear witness to the truths of the Gospel. Although he wants to prepare them to face such terrible events, he tells them not to worry what to say because he will give them an eloquence and wisdom that their accusers will not be able to resist. And indeed, this proved to be true since many onlookers were so impressed by the courage and wisdom of the martyrs that they themselves made the decision to embrace Christianity.
Christians down the centuries have been constantly called to give witness to Christ. And this essential requirement to give true witness is as relevant today as ever it was. We know that in this country our forebears endured what we call the Penal Times when they were openly attacked for their faith and hundreds were tortured and executed in the most brutal way imaginable. This lasted several hundred years and yet it was impossible for the authorities to eradicate the faith in these lands.
Today we might not be subject to open hostility and persecution from the civil and religious authorities as were our ancestors. But, actually, we find ourselves facing different and more insidious challenges. In the modern world what we are confronted with is, on the one hand, a widespread indifference to religion and, on the other hand, an increasing political correctness that subjects us to social opprobrium if we express views that are in any way different from what social liberals regard as the proper outlook to hold. Make no mistake about it, this is a form of persecution. What is demanded of us is that we keep our religious opinions quiet and if we do not keep our views on moral issues under wraps we will find ourselves ostracised in the workplace or in our schools and colleges.
We ought to resist these pressures and speak up boldly for the truths of the Gospel. For example, we should make our views clear on issues such as marriage. Today with state approval of same-sex marriages it is considered taboo to express the view that the Bible teaches us very clearly that marriage can only ever be between one man and one woman. We know that people such as registrars have lost their jobs because they have refused to go along with the opinions of so-called modern society.
There are others areas where our views are considered suspect, most obviously as in the case of abortion. We need to be aware that in our Universities freedom of speech is increasingly under attack and the ｅxpression of particular religious and moral views is not considered acceptable. We need to resist these developments and we need to do what Jesus requires of us which is essentially to have the courage to face up to those who want to keep us silent.
As the Lord says, 'You will be hated by all men on account of my name, but not a hair of your head will be lost. Your endurance will win you your lives.'
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November 13, 2016 Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
