November 14th 2021. Thirty-third Sunday of Ordinary Time

GOSPEL: Mark 13,24-32

Translated from a homily by Don Fabio Rosini, broadcast on Vatican Radio

 

Don Fabio’s reflection follows the Gospel reading . . .

 

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GOSPEL: Mark 13,24-32

Jesus said to his disciples: "In those days after that tribulation
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.
"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.
"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.
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."

The Gospel of the Lord: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

 

1. Certain things stand out as points of reference in our life, but a time will come when all things will be seen in their proper light relative to Christ

On this second last Sunday of the liturgical year, the readings orient us to the end of all things. This description of the end times is more existential than chronological. It does not simply speak of the end of time, but the end of every time when the Lord Jesus comes to us at the completion of our earthly life. We see from Jesus’ words, in fact, that the moment of crisis is actually the moment of the manifestation of God. On the fourth day of creation, the sun, moon and stars became the points of reference of the physical world. Jesus now speaks about them coming to an end. If Christ is to come to us, then our own points of reference must come to an end. Jesus refers to the fruit of the fig tree. At that crucial moment when Christ intervenes, the things that matter, that bear genuine fruit, will remain standing, whilst those that do not will disappear. This is true of the personal end of life for each one of us.

 

2. Jesus is the only light of the world. He has already given light to our hearts by his word. This is the word that will save us.

We read in the Gospel that  the sun became dimmed at the moment Jesus died on the cross. When Jesus becomes the only light of the world, then all other lights become dim as he leads us to the resurrection. We find, in fact, that when our personal life collapse around us, the word of God that we conserve in our hearts comes to the fore. It is not necessary for us to know when all of this will come about. The Father knows when he will come for us. He knows how to save us, and his way of saving us is always going to be different to the way we think he should act! All that matters is the saving word of God in our hearts.

 

3. Let us nourish that in life which alone endures beyond death: love, our relationship with God and others

It is important to nourish that in our lives which goes beyond death. 1 Corinthians 13 tells us that only love will endure. Even prophecies and knowledge will pass away. Love lasts longer than the sun, moon and stars and every tribulation. Sometimes we need to experience this tribulation which reduces us to nothing and helps us to grasp that which really counts. Our relationships with God and others go beyond death. As we move towards the feast of Christ the King, the readings on Sunday show us that what matters is Heaven. Heaven is already here in moments of tribulation, for tribulation relativizes everything and can launch us towards the eternal, the absolute, that which truly matters.

 

ALTERNATIVE HOMILY . . . The Gospel passage speaks of cataclysmic events. What are we to make of these dramatic prophecies? Are these referring to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 AD? Or are they referring to the end of time? Do they speak to us today as we read this Gospel? The events can be interpreted as referring to the natural cataclysms that occurred at the time of the passion of Jesus. And they can also be taken as referring to the tribulations that always precede genuine conversion to Christ in any age. On the fourth day of creation, the sun, moon and stars became the points of reference of the physical world. Jesus speaks about them coming to an end. If Christ is to come to us, then our own points of reference must come to an end. Our own intelligence, our own wisdom, the things that “illuminate” our way, must all collapse. The pantheon of our personal idolatries must be shattered. It is only then that Jesus will be able to come to us and find what is authentic in our hearts. Tribulation becomes a blessed thing if we allow ourselves to be found by the Lord. It becomes a moment of opportunity if it causes our spurious foundations to collapse, leading us to make the Father our principal point of reference.

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