33rd Sunday of Year B
✠ A reading from the Holy Gospel, according to Mark 13:24-32
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘In those days, after the time of distress, the sun will be darkened, the moon will lose its brightness, the stars will come falling from heaven 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; then too he will send the angels to gather his chosen from the four winds, from the ends of the world to the ends of heaven.
‘Take the fig tree as a parable: as soon as its twigs grow supple and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. So with you when you see these things happening: know that he is near, at the very gates. I tell you solemnly, before this generation has passed away, all these things will have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
‘But as for that day or hour, nobody knows it, neither the angels of heaven nor the Son; no one but the Father.’
1. Today, 33rd Sunday of the year B, is the Sunday before the solemnity of Christ the King, traditionally the last Sunday of the liturgical year. It is for this reason that our readings today focus on the end of all things, the end time. The first reading is taken from the book of Prophet Daniel. It is a book written during a great persecution of the Jews and which has the objective of encouraging the virtuous people to remain steadfast in their faith. It speaks of a great tribulation that will culminate in the final judgment and the resurrection of the dead. The righteous will rise to glory while the wicked will rise and be subjected to shame and humiliation.
2. The Gospel takes up the same theme of the end time. Jesus himself describes the great tribulation that will preceed his second coming. It will be unprecedented and will shake the powers of heaven, making the sun and the moon lose their light and causing stars to fall from heaven. In the midst of the terror, something good will happen: the Son of Man will come in glory with his angels to judge the world. Jesus affirmed that the predicted event will surely take place, saying that heaven and earth will pass away, but his word will never pass away. Yes, what Jesus affirmed has also been affirmed by scientists. Scientists have proved that the universe came into being some 15 billion years ago. The earth only appeared some 4.6 billion years ago while human beings appeared only 5 million years ago. Since its appearance, the universe has continued to expand. One day, it will reach its limit and will begin to contract until it eventually disappears. This will take millions of years, but it will surely happen.
3. Heaven and earth will pass away, but that will not be the end of all things because God will still be there, and human souls will still be there because physical death is not the end of human existence.
4. The tribulations predicted by Daniel and Jesus are not far from us today. We have never had it so bad in this country as we are having it now: killings, kidnapping, terrorism, corruption, economic collapse, family crisis, etc. These are signs that assure us that we do not need to delay our preparations to meet our creator. It is common knowledge that all must die. It has been appointed unto man to die once and after which comes judgment (Heb9:27). We can do absolutely nothing to avoid death, but we can do a lot to avoid an unprepared death. Today’s readings are meant to help us to reflect on how to prepare for our last day, the day of judgment. God has given us his words, sacraments, and other good things of life so that through making good use of them, we can arrive heaven with less difficulty. Unfortunately, many think less of the awful day of judgment. Many give up trying to be good because iniquity abound in the world. Sometimes, some people put their trust in the material riches that they could acquire. They believe that such can guarantee a long healthy life for them, forgetting that when God calls, not force can oppose him, no amount of wealth or human protection can stop God from calling a soul to account for his or her earthly life at God’s appointed time.
5. Everyone expects to die at old age. But if wishes are horses, beggars will ride. Reality shows that once conceived, one becomes old enough to die. You cannot be sure whether you will reach old age but you are sure of one thing: you must die on a day you do not know. Persevere in doing good. Begin and end each day as your last day on earth. This will make you to be ever ready to meet the merciful and loving judge who judges the merciful with mercy but shows no mercy to those who have been merciless (Jas 2:13).
@ Vitalis Anaehobi
17/11/24
