Sunday - November 14, 2021
No tongue can express the greatness of the love which Jesus Christ bears to our souls. He did not wish that between Him and His servants there should be any other pledge than Himself, to keep alive the remembrance of Him.
-- St. Peter of Alcantara
TODAY'S READINGS
Thirty-third
Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary:
158
Reading 1 Dn 12:1-3
In those days, I Daniel,
heard this word of the Lord:
"At that time there shall arise
Michael, the great prince,
guardian of your people;
it shall be a time unsurpassed in distress
since nations began until that time.
At that time your people shall escape,
everyone who is found written in the book.
“Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake;
some shall live forever,
others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace.
“But the wise shall shine brightly
like the splendor of the firmament,
and those who lead the many to justice
shall be like the stars forever."
Responsorial Psalm Ps 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11
R. (1) You are my inheritance, O Lord!
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!
Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
my body, too, abides in confidence;
because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,
nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!
Reading 2 Heb 10:11-14, 18
Brothers and sisters:
Every priest stands daily at his ministry,
offering frequently those same sacrifices
that can never take away sins.
But this one offered one sacrifice for sins,
and took his seat forever at the right hand of God;
now he waits until his enemies are made his footstool.
For by one offering
he has made perfect forever those who are being consecrated.
Where there is forgiveness of these,
there is no longer offering for sin.
Alleluia Lk 21:36
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Be vigilant at all times
and pray that you have the strength to stand before the Son of Man.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Mk 13:24-32
Jesus said to his disciples:
"In those days after that tribulation
the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light,
and the stars will be falling from the sky,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
"And then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in the clouds'
with great power and glory,
and then he will send out the angels
and gather his elect from the four winds,
from the end of the earth to the end of the sky.
"Learn a lesson from the fig tree.
When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves,
you know that summer is near.
In the same way, when you see these things happening,
know that he is near, at the gates.
Amen, I say to you,
this generation will not pass away
until all these things have taken place.
Heaven and earth will pass away,
but my words will not pass away.
"But of that day or hour, no one knows,
neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."
*****************
The Second Coming of Christ?
Do you have an unending problem? Where's Jesus? In this Sunday's Gospel reading, Jesus speaks of his Second Coming. And here he hasn't even finished his first coming! How confusing it must have been to the disciples.
They grew even more confused after Jesus died, was resurrected, and ascended to heaven but delayed coming back. They remembered him saying that "this generation" will not pass away until all these Second Coming events have taken place, yet time passed, the apostles began to die off, and Jesus still had not re-appeared in the clouds. The misery of living in this world continued.
Think of your own unending problem. Don't you wish Jesus would hurry up with his Second Coming and destroy all evil? Notice what Jesus said: "When you see these things happening, know that I am near, at the gates." He didn't pin down a date. He didn't give the disciples -- nor us -- a definitive clue about God's timing. ("Of that day or hour, no one knows, not the angels, not even the Son, but only the Father.") So what was he trying to convey?
His nearness!
For the past 2000+ years, we have all been part of "this generation" that will not pass away before his Second Coming. It's the generation of Christian humanity, the Body of Christ on Earth in the form of Church community, the generation of children who have been adopted by God the Father through the sacrifice and resurrection of God the Son.
The final era (the "last days") of salvation began on the first Pentecost and will continue until the Second Coming of Christ. It is the age of the Holy Spirit, when Christ's earthly ministry is continued through us who are empowered by his Spirit.
The lesson in the fig tree is that we can discern when summer is near. In other words, we can discern -- in good times and in bad -- that Jesus is near to us, not in the flesh except during Mass in the Eucharist, but in his Holy Spirit.
Jesus is right now at "the gate" of your next move, your next step on the journey to heaven. A gate is meant to be opened so that we can pass through it. Jesus is opening the gate right now for you -- the gate of holiness, the gate of love. Step through it to live in the fullness of the mission he has planned for you here on earth.
What problems are you waiting to be rescued from? Is Jesus really taking too long, or is there a bigger, better plan he's fulfilling on your behalf? What do you need to do to become more aware of his nearness, his comfort, his joy and peace to help you endure the long wait?
Today's Prayer
Thank You, my Lord, because You come to us, speak to us in a thousand ways and wait for us at the end of our journey. Amen.
------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment