Homily for Mark 13: 24-32 Thirty Third Sunday
Today is really the last “regular” Sunday of the liturgical year, as next week we will conclude this liturgical year with the Solemnity of Christ the King. Over the past year we have been reading from the Gospel of St. Mark, and so the Church chooses this reading from his Gospel to end the year. This reading about the second coming of Christ fits well: it anticipates advent, and it shows us that we are indeed ending the liturgical year, which signifies the end times, and so looks forward in hope to Christ’s final coming. It is the Second coming of Christ that is the major theme of Advent and our readiness or lack thereof, for His coming.
So in these last weeks, before Advent, the Church already begins to emphasize the coming of Jesus in Glory, and the End Times. This reminds us that just as the Church’s year comes to a close, so too will our life someday come to a close. As we begin Advent, a time of preparation, reflection, hope and anticipation for the coming of the Messiah at Christmas, we should ask ourselves if we have used the advent of our life as a preparation for the coming of Jesus at the close of our own life--are we ready to meet Him if He should come for us sooner than we expect.
From the first Sunday of the season of Advent, the Liturgy of the Church has a great sense of expectation, promise and hope. And so, Advent is not only a season for reflecting on the Second Coming of Christ, but for reflecting on the “last things” of our Catholic Faith, the last things of each of our future: Death, Judgment, Heaven And Hell. Death will come for each of us; and with death, Judgment; and with Judgment, heaven or hell. This is the truth that Jesus Himself has revealed to us, so let no one deny it.
The second coming of our Lord is indeed a mysterious thing- as St. Mark tells us: the tribulation will come and then He will appear in the clouds at a time that only the Father in heaven knows. The language here is symbolic and not literal in the strictest sense: The so called Rapture is not biblical and so is not a part of our Catholic belief. No, the language here is meant to bring us to deeper spiritual understanding of death; and eventually, the end of the world as we know it.
The whole idea is difficult to grasp and can lead us to be afraid. Certainly, no one wants to face terrible trials in the future and it is normal to have a natural fear of death. Both prospects can certainly fill us with fear. Jesus, however, knowing our fear, wants to bring us hope, and cast out our fear. He wants us to be ready for Him when He comes for us; and even to look forward to His coming with Joyful expectation.
Both the first reading and Gospel describe a period of tribulation, a time of unsurpassed distress. We immediately try to connect current affairs with this passage. The current list of bad news is long: disease, war, terrorism, abortion, euthanasia, the decline of all moral values as seen in the break up of the family as well as in all sorts of terrible crimes, such as the recent mass shootings. Certainly, these events affect us profoundly and indeed we need to be strong in face of these trials, and the trials to come.
But the trials also include the present trying circumstances of our lives, which can be very fearful for us as well. Think of the crisis of trying to pay the bills at the end of the month, tension at your work or the prospects of unemployment; or an illness or death in the family, or maybe even your own serious illness. All of these too, are tribulations; and unfortunately, we don’t have to look far to find them; sooner or later they find us. These trials cause us to be worried and anxious. Our mind is full of thoughts like, “What if this or this happened- the worst case scenario- what will I do?” These thoughts can really make us feel very afraid.
There is another aspect of our readings that can also bring us fear, that is the final judgment. In Daniel we read that the end for some will be an everlasting horror and disgrace; In the Gospel, we hear Jesus will come and gather the others, the elect - what if we are not in that book of the elect? Judgment brings us fear because each one of us are sinners, plain and simple. Each of us has done things that we are ashamed of and regret terribly. When we think about facing the judgment seat of God with these on our record, it can indeed terrify us.
Certainly at the time of Daniel the Jews believed the trials they were going through were a direct result of their sins. This may be true for us, for if we have done deeds we cannot take back, it seems we too will face the consequences. Many of us can think of a family incident where hurtful things were said and family members stop talking with one another. Obviously, the consequences of our acts stay with us- It is not so much that God is punishing us, but more that we are simply reaping from the natural effects of our actions, sad as they may be. It can lead us to think, will God punish us forever for these or will he punish us for them in the future?
Yet the fear does not have the last word. In Daniel, St. Michael will be sent to protect and hope is given- “the wise will shine brightly.” In the Gospel, Jesus says, “I will gather the elect from the four winds.” Salvation will come. Jesus will come and His mercy will be victorious over all sin and over death itself. Jesus has overcome our deepest fears. He has come to give us His mercy by taking away our sins. The wise then, are those who repent of their sins.
Ultimately, it is our sin that causes us to be afraid; to be afraid of the coming tribulation, to be afraid of dead and judgment and ultimately even to be afraid of God. Yes, God is Merciful but He is also the most just judge; He doesn't do away with Justice by His mercy. His mercy is His Justice.
The Message of advent, whether it be the liturgical time before Christmas or the advent of our lives is that God has come to save us, to save us from our sins; so do not be afraid. But for our part, in order to receive his mercy and so receive this hope, we necessarily, have to, must repent, confess our sins and with the help of God's grace amend our life, that is change ourselves for the better. And so, if we have not been to confession or made a good confession, perhaps this is at the root of our fear.
Therefore, Advent is a time of decision; a time of great action; a time for change. Are we going to continue to worry, hiding from God by hiding from the reality of our sinfulness and so stay in the grip of fear, the fear of what the future might bring; or are we going to try to turn God into a nice Grandfather like dude, instead of seeing Him as the Almighty God, merciful yes, but also most just God that He is; or do we hopefully instead, accept that truth that we are indeed sinners, receive God's mercy and forgiveness by making a good and sincere confession and so live in the freedom of God's sons and daughters, free from the fear of what the future will hold.
For those who don't heed Advent's call to conversion before the sudden unforeseen end arrives, the advent of their lives will end in a life never truly lived, a live ending with the death of hope. For those that heed this call before the end times, the advent of their lives will end in the fulfillment of hope-- the joy of the eternal Christmas of heaven and the ending love it brings.
This is the message of hope that this last “Ordinary” Sunday of the Liturgical year brings. This time of distress in this life is short; and so, those who are faithful should not grieve over the hardships of this present time, for a life of blessedness awaits them. Let us then repent with our whole heart, in order to save ourselves and to find life. Let us glorify the Father of Truth, who sent the Savior, and through Him revealed to us the truth and the heavenly life; to Him be glory throughout all ages, forever and ever. Amen. Let us end, by praying together the wonderful prayer to St. Michael the Archangel, that he would protect us and our family in the future tribulation. Hail Mary, Mother of our Hope, Pray for us.
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