Thirty-Third Sunday Gospel B

· As we come to the end of the Liturgical Year, the Church begins to reflect on the end-times statements of Jesus in the Gospel, of which this is one.

Jesus said: "But in those days after that tribulation

· Before this Jesus mentioned things pertaining to earthly events such as wars, earthquakes, famines. Now he mentions cosmic events.

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. 

· Much of what Jesus is referring to is found referenced in the Old Testament in the writings of the prophets: Is 13:10;34:4; Joel 2:10, 31; 3:15.

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.

· What is your feeling when you read this? Humanly, it may be of fear. But what do you think Jesus’ intention is for us when we hear this and other similar statements?

· The real key is whether we will be among the elect or not?

"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. 

· What is the message Jesus wants us to hear and act on? Live in the present moment as if it was your last. Always be ready, not in fear, but in true relationship with God. Is this your attitude?

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. 

· This last statement is very key. No matter how often people try to read the “signs” of the time and predict the future, especially the end of the world, only the Father, Son, and Spirit know as God. Jesus is saying that in his humanity he does not have this knowledge. At the moment he is speaking from his humanity, not out of his divinity.

· How should this whole passage impact your life today?

 “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” St Josaphat Kuncewicz (1584-1623)

 

This was a favorite prayer of St. Josaphat. It originated during the Desert Fathers’ period of the third century. It is biblically based. The prayer contains the words of the Tax collector in the Temple and the prayer of the blind man, asking to be healed. The short prayer is a proclamation of faith in the person of Jesus as Lord, Christ and Son of God. At the same time, it is an admission of one’s sinfulness and need of God’s mercy. As a short ejaculation, it praises God for who he is and petitions God for his grace of mercy.  Like any other prayer, it is not magical. But prayed sincerely, it is effective, especially in times of temptations.

 “With the sign of the Cross, I shall more certainly break through the ranks of the enemy than if armed with shield and sword." St. Martin of Tours (+397)

 

The sign of the Cross is the sign of Christ’s victory over the power of sin and death. It is the sword that pierced and defeated Satan. For those who have faith in Jesus, it is the sign we cover ourselves with, the sign we wear in faith, the sign we stand behind as our shield in the time of battles with the power of darkness. It is not a jewelry, it is not a good luck charm, it is not a magical wand. We were signed with it when we were baptized. Hopefully, we will be signed with it when we die. It stands as a constant reminder of God’s ultimate love for us and our commitment in faith to him, as Lord. Wear it proudly, use it wisely and stand by it faithfully.

 “During painful times, when you feel a terrible void, think how the capacity of your soul is being enlarged so that it can receive God- becoming as it were, infinite as God is infinite.” St Elizabeth of the Trinity (1880-1906)

What is one of the greatest void in the spiritual journey? The Dark Night Of the soul. God seems distant and we have a sense of his absence, even though in truth, he is never absent. Jesus experienced this on the cross. His cry, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me” was not a cry of despair, but of experiencing the reality of sin. This grace moment is a way for God to strip us of everything, so that we can experience the greatest of all good, himself, in a new way. In those moments of darkness, cry out to God, as Jesus did, but also trust in his mercy and love, as Jesus did.

 “All is too little for the Lord.” St. Agostina Pietrantoni (1864-1894)

 

In a short but precise statement, she captures Salvation History and our response. We cannot begin to take in all that God has done for humanity in general and us in particular. He created all things out of nothing and sustains all things in existence. He willed to share his Divine Life with one of his creation, whom he formed in his own image and likeness. When human beings failed the test of love and obedience, He promised a Savior, himself, to restore us to our inheritance by the sacrifice of his life. He has showered grace upon grace upon us, none of which was deserved. This barely covers what he has done for us. What does he ask in return? Love, so that we can be fulfilled. Nothing I can do or give can adequately begin to equate what he has and is still doing. But the little I have and can do, I will give to God in gratitude and praise out of love.

 “I have never gone to sleep with a grievance against anyone, and, as far as I could, I have never let anyone go to sleep with a grievance against me.” St. Agatho

 

Is this not a sure way to live and sleep in peace? He was probably aware of St. Paul’s admonition. “Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun set on your anger, and do not leave room for the devil.”  (Ephesians 4:26-27) Things will happen and we will react in a negative way. That is the Law of sin within us. What we do can be the Law of grace. Forgive and ask forgiveness, then let it go. Otherwise, a foothold is given to the devil to keep the wound infected. If your eternal salvation is at stake, is holding on to the grievance worth it?  Without forgiveness, it is at stake. Your self-righteousness is not worth it.

 Homily: Thirty-second Sunday Year B

 

Reading 1: Elijah has prophesied that God would cause a drought over Israel for three years. He is led by the Spirit to Zarephath to provide for him during the drought. There he has a diving encounter. By God’s providence he encounters a widow with a son. She is in a desperate situation and he is in need. He is thirsty and hungry. She and her son are also hungry, about to eat their last meal before the oil and flour run out.

 

Elijah asks her first for a cup of water and also for something to eat. The widow responds in truth. She has enough to feed herself and her son one last meal. Then Elijah speaks a word of prophesy. “If you make me a cake first, then the oil and flour will not diminish until the drought is over.” As a desperate women, concerned about her son, she could easily have ignored these words. She didn’t know this person.  However, the grace of God moved her to do what Elijah had said to her. She trusted the word of the Lord to her. As a result, for over a year the prophetic word was fulfilled.

 

It is easy to trust in God in good times; it is harder to do so in difficult times. To believe on the word of God and to act upon it is an act of faith. God said to Elijah that he would provide for him and he did. God said he would provide for the widow and her son and he did. The miracle was not the providence of God, as much as that was a miracle. The miracle was the trust that Elijah and the widow put in the word of God and acted on it. To what extent do we truly trust in God for everything. We are called to hear his word, to act on it and to totally depend upon God.

 

Gospel: The widow in the Gospel connects us to the widow in the first reading. The focus of the parable in action is the contrast between the widow and the others making their offerings in the Temple. Like the widow in the first reading, she gave everything, trusting in the providential care of God. On the other hand, the crowd gave from their surplus out of obligation to the law of tithe. But what they gave did not make them any more dependent on God.

 

The trust of the widow is the trust God is looking for from each of us, not that we give everything as much as we in our giving, show a trust and dependency upon God, who has provided for us to have what we have.  Though in actual value, what she gave in comparison to the others was nothing. But in the eyes of God she gave more out of a generous and dependent heart. She gave her tithe to God first, trusting in God’s providential care for her

 

How dependent are we on the Lord? Do we give to him first or afterwards? Is God the recognized and acknowledged source of all that we have?

 

Reading 2: This reading gives us the ultimate reason we have in trusting God. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, not only have our sins been forgiven, but we also share in God’s divine life and in eternal salvation. Jesus’ one offering of himself on the cross for my sake out of love and in total surrender to the will of the Father, has given our life it’s true meaning. Jesus gave his all for us, holding nothing back

 

The completion of that grace of salvation will only be experienced by those, who eagerly await him. We are saved but our salvation doesn’t come to perfection until we respond to Jesus and are sharing in his divine life at the moment of his coming.

 “Your love is Singular when all your delight is in Jesus Christ, and you find joy and comfort in no other thing.” Blessed Richard Rolle (1300-1349)

 

It is not that God needs us to love him. He is love. His love of its very nature is Other between the Triune Persons. This love is also other outside of the Trinity. When God commands us to love him, it is for our sake not his. Since love is perfect within the Trinity, so love will be our ultimate perfection and fulfillment. This is a mystery that will not be fully understood and appreciated until love is perfected in us. Our identity is an adopted child of God. Our purpose is to be with God eternally in glory. Our perfection achieving this through grace is love. Learn how to love God and you will be perfected.

 “Just as Christ came into this world only once, clothed in our flesh, He is also ready to come again, at any moment, to dwell spiritually in our hearts with the profusion of His graces, as long as we do not resist Him.” St. Charles Borromeo (1538-1584)  

 

How do we resist him? By choosing sin over him. By not following his commandments. By not doing the will of the Father. By not forgiving. By being lukewarm in our relationship. By not having him as Lord of our life. The grace of God is like the sun, beaming brightly on all that are open. Our resistance is like being in an enclosure with only a small opening for the sun’s ray to enter. We resist to our detriment. Yet, unfortunately, we choose sin over grace.

 “Lord, let happen whatever You will; and as You will, so will I walk, help me only to know Your will! Lord, whenever You will, then is the time, today and always, Lord, whatever You will, I wish to accept, and whatever You will for me is gain, enough that I belong to You. Lord, because You will it, it is right, and because You will it, I have courage. My heart rests safely in Your hands!” Blessed Rupert Mayer (1876-1945)

This is the attitude of a true and faithful disciple of Jesus Christ. Do we not pray in the Our Father, “Thy will be done”? To pray it is also to live it in our daily life. Jesus said. “Not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42) Mary gave and lived her “fiat”. Jesus held up the measure of a disciple to be doing the will of the Father.  Only one who has truly fallen in love with the person of Jesus Christ and through him with the Father and the Spirit can live this commitment. Love is the only thing that makes doing the will of God possible. Once this love is the foundation of one’s life, then nothing else matters.