Homily page- St. Mary Catholic Website

Homily Index - Click here for a list of previous homilies!

THIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY Cycle C November 14, 2004

As we approach the end of the liturgical year and the feast of Christ the King, dear friends, the Church, through a selection of reading invites us to a reflection on how we can best live our lives in light of the promised coming of our Lord Jesus Christ at the end of time.

Let's begin with a look at today's first reading. The prophet Malachi lived at a time when many people were wondering whether it was really worthwhile to live as a people of the covenant. Wicked people seemed to prosper, so why bother to make the effort to be faithful to God? Many people ask the same question today: What difference does it make to live a life based on religious faith? Malachi's answer is that it makes all the difference in the world! In language that is very graphic, Malachi reminds them of the Day of the Lord, when God would come to judge all people. That great Day will be a day of healing and vindication for all who have remained faithful to the covenant. History is moving toward its final fulfillment, he tells us. Our lives are leading somewhere. Thus, we really cannot afford to remain indifferent about how we live our lives in the present.

In the reading from Thessalonians, Paul deals with a similar kind of malaise in the early Church. Some Christians, believing that the return of Christ in glory was just around the comer, were refusing to work or make any contribution to the life of the community At the beginning of his career as an apostle, Paul too believed that the Lord would come back in his own life time.

However, Paul was unwilling to sit down and just wait for it to happen. He saw himself as an active participant in the unfolding of God's purpose in human history. For Paul, the present is no time for idleness, still less for idle speculations about a future which was in God's hands. For him the present is the time of opportunity. There is work to be done, and no time to waste. So Paul dedicated himself to working tirelessly, night and day, as he tells us, to sharing the Good News with as many people as he could.

The message of Paul is a simple one. We too need to see ourselves as active participants in the unfolding drama of salvation history. Living in the
expectation that the Lord will come again means that we keep on doing the things that really matter and count at the end, things like remaining faithful to God, loving and caring for one another, working to build a just society where all can live in peace and dignity and living lives that are helpful to others. When we see all the hunger, poverty, violence, greed and homelessness in the world,, we see how much work still needs to be done. Rather than simply being overwhelmed by it all, we need to see what is happening around us as opportunities to become involved and make our own unique contribution to the common good. Doing this can help us to prepare ourselves well to receive our Lord when he comes again.

Jesus essentially makes the same point. The Gospel begins with a prediction by Jesus concerning the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. The Jewish temple was one of the wonders of the ancient world, renowned for its splendour and beauty. The people remarking on its magnificence must have been profoundly shocked to hear Jesus say that the day would come "when not one stone will be left standing on another." In fact, some forty years later, the Romans would surround the city and hold it in siege for several months. Over one million Jews would be put to the sword, six thousand of them would perish in the flames of the temple and ninety seven thousand would be taken off as captives to Rome. The magnificent splendor of the temple was reduced to a pile of rubble and the wall of the city taken apart stone by stone. It was a disaster, a catastrophe comparable to Hitler's holocaust. When Luke wrote his Gospel, the temple had already been destroyed some ten years earlier.

For Luke, the prophecy concerning the destruction the temple provides a springboard to have Jesus speak to us about the trials and struggles that lay ahead for those who would be his followers. Jesus speaks of "wars and insurrections... great earthquakes and famines... and of arrests and persecutions." The picture Jesus paints of what is to come seems very bleak, but bleak as it may be, Jesus sees these events as presenting opportunities for his followers to witness to him and the Gospel. The many tragedies and disasters that occur in our world need not lead us to despair. They can become opportunities for Christians to act upon their faith. It is in times of darkness that faith is mist needed. In is the times of falsehood that the truth needs to be clearly spoken. It is in the times of hatred that the flames of love need to burn more brightly.

Jesus knew how easy it is to become discouraged in the face of difficulties and trials, but in the midst of life's ups and downs, he urges us to hold our ground and stand firm in faith. Faith is not wishing that things were different. Faith gives us the strength to cope with reality as it is. Faith can thrive in adversity. Sometimes, faith is born in adversity. But always, faith is tested by adversity.

When life is hard and difficult, especially then, we need to keep on trusting in God, and to keep on believing that God still cares for us, that no matter what may happening to us, God will never abandon us and that ultimately good will triumph over evil. So even in the midst of turmoil and struggle, an inner peace, even joy, can still be ours, because we know that God is with us and God is eternally faithful. That knowledge gives us courage and strength to live through the hard times with unbroken spirits.

So never give up. By your endurance you will win your lives, Jesus tells us. It is through a lively faith then, dear friends, a faith that works for the good of others and stands firm in the midst of adversity that best prepares us for the Day of the Lord.

Father Neil

Homily Index - Click here for a list of previous homilies!