Homily of Thirty-Third Sunday in
Ordinary Time Year C
The Church’s Liturgical Year ends
next Sunday with the celebration of the solemnity of Our Jesus Christ, the King
of the Universe. As of last Sunday, the readings of this Sunday invite us to
continue our reflection on the Christian understanding of the end of our
earthly life.
In the first reading, Prophet
Malachi re-emphasized some themes that run through the entire Scripture; first,
that those who lived wicked lives while on earth would not go unpunished.
Prophet Malachi put it in a very gruesome way, “the day that is coming will set
them on fire…” Second, for those who lived righteous lives, “there will arise
the sun of justice with its healing rays.” Many people do not believe that
there is life after death, or there are judgement and reward at the end of
earthly life. I consider it foolishness to disregard these themes that run
through the entire Scripture. Ordinarily, we believe that our actions have
rewards or consequences. It is foolishness, also, to exclude what follows at
the end of our earthly life from this principle. For us who believe the
Scripture, since we look towards meeting God at the end of life, and seeing him
as he truly is, let us make the effort to live life that will lead us to him.
In the second reading, some
Thessalonians misunderstood the meaning of the second coming of Christ. They
took the “coming soon of Christ” literally, and for that reason felt that there
was no need to work. Since “an idle mind is the devil’s workshop” they were
conducting themselves in disorderly ways. St. Paul warned them, “If anyone was
unwilling to work, neither should he eat.” Therefore, we believers, while on
earth, are to fight good fight, run good race, keep the faith, and wait for the
crown of righteousness the Righteous Judge will award us on that day. Not only
to us, “but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).
In the Gospel, Jesus prophesied
about the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem; “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.” This prophesy took place in 70 A.D. The temple
represents each one of us and the world. The meaning of the words of Jesus is
that at some point in time every life has an end. When we hear about the end of
the world, our immediate expectation, however, is not to look forward to the
day when the world will come to an end. Our attention, always, need to be on
the end of everyone’s life which, as we know, can be at any moment. The
important questions are: Are we fighting good fight? Are we running good
race? Are we keeping the faith? St. Paul writes, “So then, each of us shall
give an account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12).
Jesus warned us in the Gospel
about the emergence of false prophets and fake pastors who would use the
various disasters and afflictions that occur to people and in places as weapons
to frighten and terrorize people. Jesus says, “See that you are not deceived,
for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he’ and ‘The time has come.’ Do
not follow them….” Nowadays, false prophets and fake pastors are everywhere
deceiving, cheating, abusing, extorting and stealing from those who have not
heeded Jesus’ warning. Jesus encourages us that afflictions, disasters, and
persecution should lead to our giving testimony. Jesus says in the Gospel, “By
your perseverance you will secure your lives.” For those who persevere, trials
are channels of salvation.
Unfortunately, some people are
reluctant to reflect about death or make some necessary preparations concerning
their death. A reality that faces us is that everyone will die, sooner or
later. Some people may live a long life. Some people may live a short life. No
one is sure what awaits him or her. Therefore, getting oneself ready for this
inevitability cannot be over emphasized. Are there records to be made straight?
Are there information to be shared? Are there property or money to be
allocated? Are there arrangements to be made? Are there issues to be attended
to or be resolved? And so on. Physical preparation is, equally, very important
so that at the end of one’s life, those left behind are not left in the dark.
The Lord says to each one of us,
“‘Behold, I am coming like a thief.’ Blessed is the one who watches and
keeps his clothes ready, so that he may not go naked and people see him
exposed” (Revelation 16:15).
Fr. Martin Eke, MSP
No comments:
Post a Comment