Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 158
Lectionary: 158
In those days, I Daniel,
heard this word of the Lord:
"At that time there shall arise
Michael, the great prince,
guardian of your people;
it shall be a time unsurpassed in distress
since nations began until that time.
At that time your people shall escape,
everyone who is found written in the book.
"Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake;
some shall live forever,
others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace.
"But the wise shall shine brightly
like the splendor of the firmament,
and those who lead the many to justice
shall be like the stars forever."
heard this word of the Lord:
"At that time there shall arise
Michael, the great prince,
guardian of your people;
it shall be a time unsurpassed in distress
since nations began until that time.
At that time your people shall escape,
everyone who is found written in the book.
"Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake;
some shall live forever,
others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace.
"But the wise shall shine brightly
like the splendor of the firmament,
and those who lead the many to justice
shall be like the stars forever."
Responsorial
PsalmPS 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11
R. (1) You are
my inheritance, O Lord!
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!
Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
my body, too, abides in confidence;
because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,
nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!
Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
my body, too, abides in confidence;
because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,
nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!
Reading 2HEB 10:11-14, 18
Brothers and sisters:
Every priest stands daily at his ministry,
offering frequently those same sacrifices
that can never take away sins.
But this one offered one sacrifice for sins,
and took his seat forever at the right hand of God;
now he waits until his enemies are made his footstool.
For by one offering
he has made perfect forever those who are being consecrated.
Where there is forgiveness of these,
there is no longer offering for sin.
Every priest stands daily at his ministry,
offering frequently those same sacrifices
that can never take away sins.
But this one offered one sacrifice for sins,
and took his seat forever at the right hand of God;
now he waits until his enemies are made his footstool.
For by one offering
he has made perfect forever those who are being consecrated.
Where there is forgiveness of these,
there is no longer offering for sin.
AlleluiaLK 21:36
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Be vigilant at all times
and pray that you have the strength to stand before the Son of Man.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Be vigilant at all times
and pray that you have the strength to stand before the Son of Man.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMK 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."
"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."
Meditation: "The Son of man will come with great
power and glory"
Do you recognize the signs of God's kingdom - signs
that point to his power and action in our lives and in the world around us? The
Lord Jesus came to bring us the kingdom of God and to set us free from bondage
to sin, death, and destruction and from the powers of the evil one who tempts
us through lies and deception.
The Lord is preparing us for his return
Jesus told his first disciples that it was for their benefit that he return to his Father in heaven in order for the Holy Spirit to come (John 16:7) and fill the earth with the fire of God's love, truth, and glory. The Lord Jesus in every age fills his people with the power of the Holy Spirit so that each one of us can hear his voice, understand his truth, and sow the seeds of his word - the good news of the Gospel - wherever he sends us. The Lord Jesus is preparing his people for his return - for the day of "tribulation" and "shaking" when he will appear "coming in clouds with great power and glory" (Mark 13:25-26).
Jesus told his first disciples that it was for their benefit that he return to his Father in heaven in order for the Holy Spirit to come (John 16:7) and fill the earth with the fire of God's love, truth, and glory. The Lord Jesus in every age fills his people with the power of the Holy Spirit so that each one of us can hear his voice, understand his truth, and sow the seeds of his word - the good news of the Gospel - wherever he sends us. The Lord Jesus is preparing his people for his return - for the day of "tribulation" and "shaking" when he will appear "coming in clouds with great power and glory" (Mark 13:25-26).
What did Jesus mean when he spoke about a time of
tribulation, shaking, and the "Son of man coming with great power and
glory"? The title Jesus most frequently used to describe his mission was
the "Son of Man" (Mark 13:26). This title is a direct reference to
the prophetic vision in the Book of Daniel, chapter 7:
13 I saw in the night visions, and
behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14 And to
him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and
languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which
shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
The image of a "Son of man coming with the clouds
of heaven" is taken from the vision of the prophet Daniel (Daniel
7:13-14). Daniel's vision is a royal investiture of a human king before God's
throne. This king, whose authority comes from God, is given power to rule over
"all peoples, nations, and languages" (Daniel 7:14). The kingdom
which he comes to establish cannot be broken or destroyed because it is built
on the foundation of God's justice, truth, and holiness.
The day of the Lord's return will be unlike any other
moment in time, history, and destiny for the human race and our place in God's
creation. Then the "stars of heaven will fall and all will be shaken"
before the presence of the Lord when he comes. Then the peoples of the earth
and their rulers will know who is the true King and Ruler over all.
Jesus' first coming was a rescue mission - to free the
human race from slavery to sin and Satan - the father of lies. His second
coming will be the final completion of his mission when he will "make all
things new" - a new heavens and a new earth - after he has put down the
last enemy which is death and restores our lowly bodies to immortality when
death will be no more (Daniel 12:2-3).
The sign of the budding fig tree
What lesson does the Lord Jesus want us to learn from the parable of the budding fig tree? The fig tree was a common and important source of food for the Jews. It bore fruit twice a year, in the autumn and in the early spring. The prophet Joel mentions its fruit-bearing as a sign of favor from the Lord (Joel 2:22). The Talmud (a Jewish commentary and instruction on the Torah or Five Books of Moses) said that the first fruit came the day after Passover. The Jews believed that when the Messiah came he would usher in the kingdom of God at Passover time.
What lesson does the Lord Jesus want us to learn from the parable of the budding fig tree? The fig tree was a common and important source of food for the Jews. It bore fruit twice a year, in the autumn and in the early spring. The prophet Joel mentions its fruit-bearing as a sign of favor from the Lord (Joel 2:22). The Talmud (a Jewish commentary and instruction on the Torah or Five Books of Moses) said that the first fruit came the day after Passover. The Jews believed that when the Messiah came he would usher in the kingdom of God at Passover time.
This parable foretells the joy of God's kingdom - the
joy of new life and the promise of a new age of peace and blessing. The signs
of spring are evident for all who can see. Just so are the signs of God's
kingdom. The "budding" of God's kingdom begins first in the hearts of
those who are receptive to God's word. Those who trust in God's word will bear
the fruits of his kingdom. And what are the fruits of that kingdom? "The
kingdom of God ..is righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy
Spirit (Romans 14:17).
The first-fruits of the kingdom in our present lives
The first coming of the Lord Jesus is inseparably linked with his second coming at the end of this present age. We do not know the day or hour when the Lord will return again in glory. But now in this present age we can experience the first-fruits of the kingdom of God - the abundant new life in the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, and the fruits of the Spirit - love, peace, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23) and so many other qualities which the Spirit works within us - thus enabling us to love and serve others with tenderhearted mercy, patience, and goodness. Do you know and experience in your life the first-fruits of the kingdom of God?
"Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit that I may radiate the joy of your kingdom and the fire of your love to all I meet and serve. Direct my life to the glory of your name and to the coming of your kingdom."
The first coming of the Lord Jesus is inseparably linked with his second coming at the end of this present age. We do not know the day or hour when the Lord will return again in glory. But now in this present age we can experience the first-fruits of the kingdom of God - the abundant new life in the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, and the fruits of the Spirit - love, peace, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23) and so many other qualities which the Spirit works within us - thus enabling us to love and serve others with tenderhearted mercy, patience, and goodness. Do you know and experience in your life the first-fruits of the kingdom of God?
"Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit that I may radiate the joy of your kingdom and the fire of your love to all I meet and serve. Direct my life to the glory of your name and to the coming of your kingdom."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: My words shall not pass away, by Gregory
the Great (540-604 AD)
"Nothing of this
world is more durable than the heavens and the earth, and nothing in the order
of nature passes away more quickly than speech. Words, as long as they are
incomplete, are not yet words. Once completed they cease utterly to be. In fact
they cannot be perfected except by their own passing away. Therefore he says:
'Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass.' As if he were
openly to say: all that seems to you enduring and unchangeable is not enduring
and without change in eternity. And everything of mine that seems to pass away
is enduring and without change. My speech, that seems to pass away, utters
thoughts (sententiae manentes) which endure forever." (excerpt from HOMILIES 1)
33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle B
Note: Where a Scripture text is underlined in the body of this discussion, it is recommended that the reader look up and read that passage.
1st Reading - Daniel 12:1-3
Although this book tells us virtually all that we know about the Prophet Daniel (whose name means “God is my judge”), the author of this book is unknown. The book is arranged in no historical order and has come down to us with different parts written in different languages – some in Hebrew, some in Aramaic, and some in Greek. The portion in Greek [chapter 13 (Susanna), chapter 14 (Bel and the Dragon), and chapter 3:24-90 (The Prayer of Azariah)] are not contained in the Hebrew or, consequently, Protestant canon of scripture. There are unusual changes in construction throughout, the first person frequently alternating with the third. This leads scholars to suspect that multiple authors (and/or editors) may be involved.
The Hebrew Bible locates Daniel in the historical section between Ezra and Esther. The Septuagint (the Greek translation used by the apostles) locates it in the section of prophetic writings as the fourth of the major prophets, after Ezekiel; which is where it is located in Catholic (and strangely, since they follow the Hebrew canon, Protestant) Bibles. The book was written around 300 B.C. or later, while Daniel himself lived some 225 to 300 years earlier.
Daniel had 4 apocalyptic visions which are described in chapters 7 through 12. Today’s reading comes from the ending of the 4th of these visions.
[In those days, I, Daniel, heard this word of the Lord:] 12:1 AAt that time there shall arise Michael, the great prince, guardian of your people;
Michael is Israel’s prince (Daniel 10:21). The idea was common in Judaism that every nation had its guardian angel (see Deuteronomy 32:8 where “sons of God” refers to angels). Inasmuch as Michael is Israel’s guardian angel, he is “one of the chief princes,” or archangels.
It shall be a time unsurpassed in distress since nations began until that time. At that time your people shall escape, everyone who is found written in the book.
The book of life (see Exodus 32:32-33; Psalm 69:28). These will be saved.
2 Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth
A euphemism for “are dead.”
shall awake;
Shall come back to life. This is the earliest enunciation of the belief in the resurrection of the dead.
some shall live forever,
Literally, “some unto life everlasting” the first occurrence of this term in the Bible.
others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace. 3 But the wise shall shine brightly like the splendor of the firmament,
The stars, heavenly bodies
And those who lead the many to justice shall be like the stars forever.
2nd Reading - Hebrews 10:11-14, 18
This is our last week in the Book of Hebrews. Rather than just study the verses leading up to and through the reading this week, let’s study all of Chapter 10 which will take over where we left off last week:
10:1 Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of them,
The Old Covenant foreshadows that which is to come through Christ and New Covenant.
it can never make perfect those who come to worship by the same sacrifices that they offer continually each year.
The annual Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) sacrifices were not able to remove sin, they simply foreshadowed the sacrifice of Jesus.
2 Otherwise, would not the sacrifices have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, once cleansed, would no longer have had any consciousness of sins?
The very repetition of the sacrifices proves their impotence. If they had taken away the barriers to approaching God directly, they would not have needed to be repeated.
3 But in those sacrifices there is only a yearly remembrance of sins,
The Greek word for “remembrance” is anamnesis. The only other New Testament usage of this word is “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24-25). This “remembrance” was not mere reminiscence, but an annual rejection of the golden calf sins; just as the Passover meal was an annual renewal of their covenant with God
4 for it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats take away sins. 5 For this reason, when he came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; 6 holocausts and sin offerings you took no delight in. 7 Then I said, ‘As is written of me in the scroll, Behold, I come to do your will, O God.’”
Here the sacred author has quoted Psalm 40:6-7 in the Greek Septuagint form; which is how we know that the apostles used the Greek translation. The Hebrew form says “my ears you have pierced (or opened)” while the Greek says “a body you have prepared for me”. The meaning of the Psalm is that God prefers obedience to sacrifice. This is not a repudiation of ritual, but a statement of its inferiority relative to obedience. Jesus’ obedience was expressed by His willing offering of His Body in death.
8 First he says, “Sacrifices and offerings, holocausts and sin offerings, you neither desired nor delighted in.”
These may be meant to cover the four main types of offerings: sacrifices (peace offerings), offerings (cereal offerings), burnt offerings (holocausts), and sin offerings (includes guilt offerings).
These are offered according to the law.
According to the covenant with Moses. This statement prepares the hearer for the verse which follows.
9 Then he says, “Behold, I come to do your will.” He takes away the first to establish the second.
The “first” and “second” are references to covenants.
10 By this “will,”
Recall from our discussion last week that the Greek word for “will” is the same as that for “covenant” which is a better translation.
we have been consecrated through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 Every priest stands daily at his ministry, offering frequently those same sacrifices that can never take away sins.
A reference to the Levitical priesthood rather than the high priest. The emphasis here is not on the Day of Atonement ritual, but the daily ritual.
12 But this one offered one sacrifice for sins, and took his seat forever at the right hand of God;
The contrast of the standing priest and the seated Christ has been used by some to argue that Jesus’ one sacrifice is offered once and is over, as opposed to the Catholic view of eternally being offered. It does not mean that the sacrifice is “over and done” but instead uses the imagery of Psalm 110 and is addressing the dual role (royal and priestly) which Jesus exercises. His being seated applies to his kingly status which he exercises in addition to his status as ministering priest
13 now he waits until his enemies are made his footstool.
See Psalm 110:1. The “waiting” is the time between Jesus’ enthronement and the parousia.
14 For by one offering he has made perfect forever those who are being consecrated.
Jesus has given his followers access to His Father – they share in His priestly consecration. Jesus’ priestly consecration of the Holy of Holies involved His obedience through suffering. Through His obedience He was brought to the full moral perfection of humanity. We are all called to follow His example and live His life (see Hebrews 9:14).
15 The holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying: 16 “This is the covenant I will establish with them after those days, says the Lord: ‘I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them upon their minds,’” 17 he also says: “Their sins and their evildoing I will remember no more.”
The sacred author quotes from Jeremiah 31:33-34 again. Jeremiah 31:31-34 appears in Hebrews 8:8-12 where it is the longest Old Testament quotation in the New Testament. Recall that when we studied this passage last week we looked also at Ezekiel 36:26 and the significance of writing on stone and on hearts; stone representing the Old Covenant and flesh representing the New Covenant. He speaks of the Holy Spirit in verse 15 because the Holy Spirit inspires the human writer.
18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer offering for sin.
This is the conclusion drawn from the last words of the prophecy just quoted. God no longer remembers the golden calf sins, because the people have been forgiven (and thus have had the sins forgotten). The fulfillment of this has come about through Jesus’ sacrifice which institutes the New Covenant.
19 Therefore, brothers, since through the blood of Jesus
Whenever we see the sacred writer use “therefore,” we should look to see what it is there-for. A conclusion is being drawn from the teaching just presented. The conclusion here is that the sacrifice of Jesus has forever consecrated the altar and has resulted in God forgiving and forgetting the sins of Adam and of the golden calf.
we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary 20 by the new and living way
Literally, “recently sacrificed and living way” indicating Christ is the way, the way has been recently opened, has been sacrificed, and is alive.
he opened for us through the veil, that is, his flesh,
Note the contrast between curtain and flesh (not body, but flesh). Both are an obstacle to entrance. This is a reference to the Eucharist. Recall in John 6:53-57 Jesus Himself emphasizes that you must “eat his flesh” to enter the kingdom. If one does not recognize that the Eucharist is Jesus’ body, they do not participate in the family meal which makes them a party to the New Covenant.
21 and since we have “a great priest over the house of God,” 22 let us approach with a sincere heart and in absolute trust, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water.
A reference to baptism which also cleanses all sin and makes a new person. We must attempt to stay this pure.
23 Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope,
Our confession of faith “Jesus is Lord” (Romans 10:9; 1 Corinthians 12:3) that is made at baptism.
for he who made the promise is trustworthy. 24 We must consider how to rouse one another to love and good works.
Completes the triad of theological virtues: faith (verse 22), hope (verse 23), and love. Note that good works is added which is evidence of living out these virtues. One is not compelled to do good works, but is instead impelled by the Holy Spirit to do them.
25 We should not stay away from our assembly, as is the custom of some, but encourage one another,
In community, God’s family celebrates the Eucharist. Possibly the neglect of these gatherings was due to fear of persecution, but more likely it was simply another manifestation of the slackening of Christian fervor verging on apostasy against which this letter has been written. The assembly is a situation peculiarly suitable for the stimulation of love and mutual encouragement.
and this all the more as you see the day drawing near.
The day of judgment came for the Jews in A.D. 70 when the Temple was destroyed).
26 If we sin deliberately after receiving knowledge of the truth,
Apostasy, as we will see in verse 29.
there no longer remains sacrifice for sins 27 but a fearful prospect of judgment and a flaming fire that is going to consume the adversaries.
The consequences of this sin resemble those in Hebrews 6:4-8.
28 Anyone who rejects the law of Moses is put to death without pity on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
The violation is evidently not just any sin, but specifically idolatry (see Deuteronomy 17:2-7).
29 Do you not think that a much worse punishment is due the one who has contempt for the Son of God, considers unclean the covenant-blood by which he was consecrated, and insults the spirit of grace?
This refers to the upper room and the Eucharistic liturgy. Those who purposely avoid professing their faith and going to Eucharist (verses 23-26). If they do this, Jesus’ sacrifice is in vain for them.
30 We know the one who said: “Vengeance is mine; I will repay,” and again: “The Lord will judge his people.”
Here he quotes Deuteronomy 32:35-36; the Song of Moses where he calls a curse down on
Israel.
31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 32 Remember the days past when, after you had been enlightened,
Enlightenment is a reference to baptism. It wasn’t until after they were baptized that the Eucharist was explained to catechumens.
you endured a great contest of suffering.
It is unknown what the nature of the persecution suffered after baptism was for these people but those of the Jerusalem church involved the death of some (Acts 8:1). Persecution under Nero was also brutal. The specific identity of the addressees is unknown, but after baptism their former Jewish friends probably shunned them.
33 At times you were publicly exposed to abuse and affliction; at other times you associated yourselves with those so treated. 34 You even joined in the sufferings of those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, knowing that you had a better and lasting possession.
See Hebrews 11:16. This passage refers to the heavenly Jerusalem.
35 Therefore, do not throw away your confidence; it will have great recompense. 36 You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised. 37 “For, after just a brief moment, he who is to come shall come; he shall not delay. 38 But my just one shall live by faith, and if he draws back I take no pleasure in him.”
Quotes Habakkuk 2:3-4. Habakkuk has just complained there is no justice and that there is continued oppression. (Read Habakkuk 2:1-4 for context in which Hebrews uses this passage). A promise of salvation contingent on faithfulness.
39 We are not among those who draw back and perish,
Those who return to the Old Covenant
but among those who have faith and will possess life.
Those of the New Covenant
Gospel - Mark 13:24-32
Today we also finish our study through the Gospel of Mark. The time is just before Holy Thursday and the Last Supper. This reading is an apocalyptic description and needs to be heard in conjunction with Mark 13:3-8 where Jesus is talking of the destruction of the temple (which occurred in A.D. 70):
13:3 As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple area, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will this happen, and what sign will there be when all these things are about to come to an end?” 5 Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in my name saying, ‘I am he,’ and they will deceive many. 7 When you hear of wars and reports of wars do not be alarmed; such things must happen, but it will not yet be the end. 8 Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes from place to place and there will be famines. These are the beginnings of the labor pains.
Jesus now describes, in Old Testament images, something that is coming which requires Christians to prepare themselves in order to cope with it.
24 ABut in those days after that tribulation
A period of great tribulation not directly relatable to any specific time
“We must not inordinately fix upon the chronology of what is said in Scripture, because frequently the Holy Spirit, having spoken of the end of the last times, then returns again to address a previous time, and fills up what had before been left unsaid. Nor must we look for a specific chronology in apocalyptic visions, but rather follow the meaning of those things which are prophesied” [Saint Victorinus of Pettau (ca. A.D. 280), Commentary on the Apocalypse, 7].
the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25 and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
The cosmic portents preceding the coming of the Son of Man echo Old Testament texts: Isaiah 13:10; Ezekiel 32:7; Amos 8:9; Joel 2:10,31; 3:15; Isaiah 34:4; Haggai 2:6,21. Nowhere in the Old Testament do these events precede the coming of the Son of Man. The list of portents is a way of saying that all creation will signal His coming. The same motif is also used in apocryphal books such as Enoch 80:4-7 and 2 Esdras 5:5.
26 And then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in the clouds’ with great power and glory,
This description is taken from Daniel 7:13. This Son of Man is clearly Jesus however, not an angelic figure in human form.
“This could be taken in two ways: one, that He will come in the Church as in a cloud, as He continues to come now according to His word: ‘Hereafter you shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of the power of God and coming in the clouds of heaven’ (Matthew 26:64). He comes with great power and majesty because His greater power and majesty will appear in the saints to whom He will give great power, so that they may not be overcome by such persecution. The other way in which He will come will be in His body in which He sits at the right hand of the Father (Mark 16:19; Romans 8:34; Colossians 3:1), in which, also, He died and rose again and ascended into heaven” [Saint Augustine of Hippo (A.D. 418), Letter to Hesychius, No. 199, 41].
27 and then he will send out the angels
The messengers of God
and gather (his) elect
The elect (Deuteronomy 30:4; Isaiah 11:11, 16; 27:12)
from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky.
Everywhere in the world
28 “Learn a lesson from the fig tree.
Not the fig tree He cursed (Mark 11:21), but a simple lesson in horticulture. The fig tree’s natural process of growth in spring and summer is compared with the sequence of events leading up to the coming of the Son of Man. When you see these signs, know that the Son of Man will come soon.
When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 In the same way, when you see these things happening, know that he is near, at the gates. 30 Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place.
A generation is 40 years. This was said in A.D. 30 and, forty years later, in A.D. 70 the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed. The Temple was a miniature of the Jewish concept of the construction of the world. Their world was destroyed.
Josephus, a 1st century Jewish historian, records the following when describing the use of catapults in the siege of Jerusalem: “Now the stones that were cast were of the weight of a talent (75 pounds), and were carried two furlongs (1/4 mile) and farther. The blow they gave was no way to be sustained, not only by those that stood first in the way, but by those that were beyond them for a great space. As for the Jews, they at first watched the coming of the stone, for it was of a white color, and could therefore not only be perceived by the great noise it made, but could be seen also before it came by its brightness. Accordingly, the watchmen that sat upon the towers and gave them notice when the engine (catapult) was let go, and the stone came from it, and cried out in their own country language ‘THE SON IS COMING;’ so that those that were in its way stood off.” [Josephus, The Wars of the Jews, 5.7.3(270-273)]. The translator’s footnote says “What should be the meaning of this signal or watchword, when the watchmen saw a stone coming from the engine, ‘THE SON IS COMING,’ or what mistake there is in the reading, I cannot tell. The manuscripts, both Greek and Latin, all agree in this reading and I cannot approve of any groundless conjectural alteration of the text.” Whitson, William, The Works of Josephus, Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, MA, 1987, page 710.
31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 32 “But of that day or hour, no one knows,
We must be vigilant and prepared at all times.
neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
This has been used by some as an argument against the divinity of Jesus. There is One God in three persons. The partition of duties/knowledge among the three persons is one of the reasons why the Trinity is called a mystery.
“It is sometimes turned into a reproach against the only begotten God that He did not know the day and the hour. It is said that, though God, born of God, He is not in the perfection of divine nature, since He is subjected to the limitation of ignorance, namely, to an external force stronger than Himself, triumphing, as it were, over His weakness. The heretics in their frenzy would try to drive us to this blasphemous interpretation: that He is thus captive to this external limitation, which makes such a confession inevitable. The words are those of the Lord Himself. What could be more unholy, we ask, than to corrupt His express assertion by our attempt to explain it away? But, before we investigate the meaning and occasion of these words, let us first appeal to the judgment of common sense. It is credible, that He, who stands to all things as the author (see Hebrews 12:2) of their present and future, should not know all things? ... All that is derives from God alone in its origin, and has in Him alone the efficient cause of its present state and future development. Can anything be beyond the reach of His nature, through which is effected, and in which is contained, all that is and shall be? Jesus Christ knows the thoughts of the mind, as it is now, stirred by present motives, and as it will be tomorrow, aroused by the impulse of future desires. ... Whenever God says that He does not know, He professes ignorance indeed, but is not under the defect of ignorance. It is not because of the infirmity of ignorance that He does not know, but because it is not yet the time to speak, or in the divine plan to act. ... This knowledge is not, therefore, a change from ignorance, but the coming of a fullness of time. He waits still to know, but we cannot suppose that He does not know. Therefore His not knowing what He knows, and His knowing what He does not know, is nothing else than a divine economy in word and deed” [Saint Hilary of Poiters (between A.D. 356-359), The Trinity, 9,58-62].
Note: Where a Scripture text is underlined in the body of this discussion, it is recommended that the reader look up and read that passage.
1st Reading - Daniel 12:1-3
Although this book tells us virtually all that we know about the Prophet Daniel (whose name means “God is my judge”), the author of this book is unknown. The book is arranged in no historical order and has come down to us with different parts written in different languages – some in Hebrew, some in Aramaic, and some in Greek. The portion in Greek [chapter 13 (Susanna), chapter 14 (Bel and the Dragon), and chapter 3:24-90 (The Prayer of Azariah)] are not contained in the Hebrew or, consequently, Protestant canon of scripture. There are unusual changes in construction throughout, the first person frequently alternating with the third. This leads scholars to suspect that multiple authors (and/or editors) may be involved.
The Hebrew Bible locates Daniel in the historical section between Ezra and Esther. The Septuagint (the Greek translation used by the apostles) locates it in the section of prophetic writings as the fourth of the major prophets, after Ezekiel; which is where it is located in Catholic (and strangely, since they follow the Hebrew canon, Protestant) Bibles. The book was written around 300 B.C. or later, while Daniel himself lived some 225 to 300 years earlier.
Daniel had 4 apocalyptic visions which are described in chapters 7 through 12. Today’s reading comes from the ending of the 4th of these visions.
[In those days, I, Daniel, heard this word of the Lord:] 12:1 AAt that time there shall arise Michael, the great prince, guardian of your people;
Michael is Israel’s prince (Daniel 10:21). The idea was common in Judaism that every nation had its guardian angel (see Deuteronomy 32:8 where “sons of God” refers to angels). Inasmuch as Michael is Israel’s guardian angel, he is “one of the chief princes,” or archangels.
It shall be a time unsurpassed in distress since nations began until that time. At that time your people shall escape, everyone who is found written in the book.
The book of life (see Exodus 32:32-33; Psalm 69:28). These will be saved.
2 Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth
A euphemism for “are dead.”
shall awake;
Shall come back to life. This is the earliest enunciation of the belief in the resurrection of the dead.
some shall live forever,
Literally, “some unto life everlasting” the first occurrence of this term in the Bible.
others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace. 3 But the wise shall shine brightly like the splendor of the firmament,
The stars, heavenly bodies
And those who lead the many to justice shall be like the stars forever.
2nd Reading - Hebrews 10:11-14, 18
This is our last week in the Book of Hebrews. Rather than just study the verses leading up to and through the reading this week, let’s study all of Chapter 10 which will take over where we left off last week:
10:1 Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of them,
The Old Covenant foreshadows that which is to come through Christ and New Covenant.
it can never make perfect those who come to worship by the same sacrifices that they offer continually each year.
The annual Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) sacrifices were not able to remove sin, they simply foreshadowed the sacrifice of Jesus.
2 Otherwise, would not the sacrifices have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, once cleansed, would no longer have had any consciousness of sins?
The very repetition of the sacrifices proves their impotence. If they had taken away the barriers to approaching God directly, they would not have needed to be repeated.
3 But in those sacrifices there is only a yearly remembrance of sins,
The Greek word for “remembrance” is anamnesis. The only other New Testament usage of this word is “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24-25). This “remembrance” was not mere reminiscence, but an annual rejection of the golden calf sins; just as the Passover meal was an annual renewal of their covenant with God
4 for it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats take away sins. 5 For this reason, when he came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; 6 holocausts and sin offerings you took no delight in. 7 Then I said, ‘As is written of me in the scroll, Behold, I come to do your will, O God.’”
Here the sacred author has quoted Psalm 40:6-7 in the Greek Septuagint form; which is how we know that the apostles used the Greek translation. The Hebrew form says “my ears you have pierced (or opened)” while the Greek says “a body you have prepared for me”. The meaning of the Psalm is that God prefers obedience to sacrifice. This is not a repudiation of ritual, but a statement of its inferiority relative to obedience. Jesus’ obedience was expressed by His willing offering of His Body in death.
8 First he says, “Sacrifices and offerings, holocausts and sin offerings, you neither desired nor delighted in.”
These may be meant to cover the four main types of offerings: sacrifices (peace offerings), offerings (cereal offerings), burnt offerings (holocausts), and sin offerings (includes guilt offerings).
These are offered according to the law.
According to the covenant with Moses. This statement prepares the hearer for the verse which follows.
9 Then he says, “Behold, I come to do your will.” He takes away the first to establish the second.
The “first” and “second” are references to covenants.
10 By this “will,”
Recall from our discussion last week that the Greek word for “will” is the same as that for “covenant” which is a better translation.
we have been consecrated through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 Every priest stands daily at his ministry, offering frequently those same sacrifices that can never take away sins.
A reference to the Levitical priesthood rather than the high priest. The emphasis here is not on the Day of Atonement ritual, but the daily ritual.
12 But this one offered one sacrifice for sins, and took his seat forever at the right hand of God;
The contrast of the standing priest and the seated Christ has been used by some to argue that Jesus’ one sacrifice is offered once and is over, as opposed to the Catholic view of eternally being offered. It does not mean that the sacrifice is “over and done” but instead uses the imagery of Psalm 110 and is addressing the dual role (royal and priestly) which Jesus exercises. His being seated applies to his kingly status which he exercises in addition to his status as ministering priest
13 now he waits until his enemies are made his footstool.
See Psalm 110:1. The “waiting” is the time between Jesus’ enthronement and the parousia.
14 For by one offering he has made perfect forever those who are being consecrated.
Jesus has given his followers access to His Father – they share in His priestly consecration. Jesus’ priestly consecration of the Holy of Holies involved His obedience through suffering. Through His obedience He was brought to the full moral perfection of humanity. We are all called to follow His example and live His life (see Hebrews 9:14).
15 The holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying: 16 “This is the covenant I will establish with them after those days, says the Lord: ‘I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them upon their minds,’” 17 he also says: “Their sins and their evildoing I will remember no more.”
The sacred author quotes from Jeremiah 31:33-34 again. Jeremiah 31:31-34 appears in Hebrews 8:8-12 where it is the longest Old Testament quotation in the New Testament. Recall that when we studied this passage last week we looked also at Ezekiel 36:26 and the significance of writing on stone and on hearts; stone representing the Old Covenant and flesh representing the New Covenant. He speaks of the Holy Spirit in verse 15 because the Holy Spirit inspires the human writer.
18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer offering for sin.
This is the conclusion drawn from the last words of the prophecy just quoted. God no longer remembers the golden calf sins, because the people have been forgiven (and thus have had the sins forgotten). The fulfillment of this has come about through Jesus’ sacrifice which institutes the New Covenant.
19 Therefore, brothers, since through the blood of Jesus
Whenever we see the sacred writer use “therefore,” we should look to see what it is there-for. A conclusion is being drawn from the teaching just presented. The conclusion here is that the sacrifice of Jesus has forever consecrated the altar and has resulted in God forgiving and forgetting the sins of Adam and of the golden calf.
we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary 20 by the new and living way
Literally, “recently sacrificed and living way” indicating Christ is the way, the way has been recently opened, has been sacrificed, and is alive.
he opened for us through the veil, that is, his flesh,
Note the contrast between curtain and flesh (not body, but flesh). Both are an obstacle to entrance. This is a reference to the Eucharist. Recall in John 6:53-57 Jesus Himself emphasizes that you must “eat his flesh” to enter the kingdom. If one does not recognize that the Eucharist is Jesus’ body, they do not participate in the family meal which makes them a party to the New Covenant.
21 and since we have “a great priest over the house of God,” 22 let us approach with a sincere heart and in absolute trust, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water.
A reference to baptism which also cleanses all sin and makes a new person. We must attempt to stay this pure.
23 Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope,
Our confession of faith “Jesus is Lord” (Romans 10:9; 1 Corinthians 12:3) that is made at baptism.
for he who made the promise is trustworthy. 24 We must consider how to rouse one another to love and good works.
Completes the triad of theological virtues: faith (verse 22), hope (verse 23), and love. Note that good works is added which is evidence of living out these virtues. One is not compelled to do good works, but is instead impelled by the Holy Spirit to do them.
25 We should not stay away from our assembly, as is the custom of some, but encourage one another,
In community, God’s family celebrates the Eucharist. Possibly the neglect of these gatherings was due to fear of persecution, but more likely it was simply another manifestation of the slackening of Christian fervor verging on apostasy against which this letter has been written. The assembly is a situation peculiarly suitable for the stimulation of love and mutual encouragement.
and this all the more as you see the day drawing near.
The day of judgment came for the Jews in A.D. 70 when the Temple was destroyed).
26 If we sin deliberately after receiving knowledge of the truth,
Apostasy, as we will see in verse 29.
there no longer remains sacrifice for sins 27 but a fearful prospect of judgment and a flaming fire that is going to consume the adversaries.
The consequences of this sin resemble those in Hebrews 6:4-8.
28 Anyone who rejects the law of Moses is put to death without pity on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
The violation is evidently not just any sin, but specifically idolatry (see Deuteronomy 17:2-7).
29 Do you not think that a much worse punishment is due the one who has contempt for the Son of God, considers unclean the covenant-blood by which he was consecrated, and insults the spirit of grace?
This refers to the upper room and the Eucharistic liturgy. Those who purposely avoid professing their faith and going to Eucharist (verses 23-26). If they do this, Jesus’ sacrifice is in vain for them.
30 We know the one who said: “Vengeance is mine; I will repay,” and again: “The Lord will judge his people.”
Here he quotes Deuteronomy 32:35-36; the Song of Moses where he calls a curse down on
Israel.
31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 32 Remember the days past when, after you had been enlightened,
Enlightenment is a reference to baptism. It wasn’t until after they were baptized that the Eucharist was explained to catechumens.
you endured a great contest of suffering.
It is unknown what the nature of the persecution suffered after baptism was for these people but those of the Jerusalem church involved the death of some (Acts 8:1). Persecution under Nero was also brutal. The specific identity of the addressees is unknown, but after baptism their former Jewish friends probably shunned them.
33 At times you were publicly exposed to abuse and affliction; at other times you associated yourselves with those so treated. 34 You even joined in the sufferings of those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, knowing that you had a better and lasting possession.
See Hebrews 11:16. This passage refers to the heavenly Jerusalem.
35 Therefore, do not throw away your confidence; it will have great recompense. 36 You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised. 37 “For, after just a brief moment, he who is to come shall come; he shall not delay. 38 But my just one shall live by faith, and if he draws back I take no pleasure in him.”
Quotes Habakkuk 2:3-4. Habakkuk has just complained there is no justice and that there is continued oppression. (Read Habakkuk 2:1-4 for context in which Hebrews uses this passage). A promise of salvation contingent on faithfulness.
39 We are not among those who draw back and perish,
Those who return to the Old Covenant
but among those who have faith and will possess life.
Those of the New Covenant
Gospel - Mark 13:24-32
Today we also finish our study through the Gospel of Mark. The time is just before Holy Thursday and the Last Supper. This reading is an apocalyptic description and needs to be heard in conjunction with Mark 13:3-8 where Jesus is talking of the destruction of the temple (which occurred in A.D. 70):
13:3 As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple area, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will this happen, and what sign will there be when all these things are about to come to an end?” 5 Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in my name saying, ‘I am he,’ and they will deceive many. 7 When you hear of wars and reports of wars do not be alarmed; such things must happen, but it will not yet be the end. 8 Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes from place to place and there will be famines. These are the beginnings of the labor pains.
Jesus now describes, in Old Testament images, something that is coming which requires Christians to prepare themselves in order to cope with it.
24 ABut in those days after that tribulation
A period of great tribulation not directly relatable to any specific time
“We must not inordinately fix upon the chronology of what is said in Scripture, because frequently the Holy Spirit, having spoken of the end of the last times, then returns again to address a previous time, and fills up what had before been left unsaid. Nor must we look for a specific chronology in apocalyptic visions, but rather follow the meaning of those things which are prophesied” [Saint Victorinus of Pettau (ca. A.D. 280), Commentary on the Apocalypse, 7].
the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25 and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
The cosmic portents preceding the coming of the Son of Man echo Old Testament texts: Isaiah 13:10; Ezekiel 32:7; Amos 8:9; Joel 2:10,31; 3:15; Isaiah 34:4; Haggai 2:6,21. Nowhere in the Old Testament do these events precede the coming of the Son of Man. The list of portents is a way of saying that all creation will signal His coming. The same motif is also used in apocryphal books such as Enoch 80:4-7 and 2 Esdras 5:5.
26 And then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in the clouds’ with great power and glory,
This description is taken from Daniel 7:13. This Son of Man is clearly Jesus however, not an angelic figure in human form.
“This could be taken in two ways: one, that He will come in the Church as in a cloud, as He continues to come now according to His word: ‘Hereafter you shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of the power of God and coming in the clouds of heaven’ (Matthew 26:64). He comes with great power and majesty because His greater power and majesty will appear in the saints to whom He will give great power, so that they may not be overcome by such persecution. The other way in which He will come will be in His body in which He sits at the right hand of the Father (Mark 16:19; Romans 8:34; Colossians 3:1), in which, also, He died and rose again and ascended into heaven” [Saint Augustine of Hippo (A.D. 418), Letter to Hesychius, No. 199, 41].
27 and then he will send out the angels
The messengers of God
and gather (his) elect
The elect (Deuteronomy 30:4; Isaiah 11:11, 16; 27:12)
from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky.
Everywhere in the world
28 “Learn a lesson from the fig tree.
Not the fig tree He cursed (Mark 11:21), but a simple lesson in horticulture. The fig tree’s natural process of growth in spring and summer is compared with the sequence of events leading up to the coming of the Son of Man. When you see these signs, know that the Son of Man will come soon.
When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 In the same way, when you see these things happening, know that he is near, at the gates. 30 Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place.
A generation is 40 years. This was said in A.D. 30 and, forty years later, in A.D. 70 the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed. The Temple was a miniature of the Jewish concept of the construction of the world. Their world was destroyed.
Josephus, a 1st century Jewish historian, records the following when describing the use of catapults in the siege of Jerusalem: “Now the stones that were cast were of the weight of a talent (75 pounds), and were carried two furlongs (1/4 mile) and farther. The blow they gave was no way to be sustained, not only by those that stood first in the way, but by those that were beyond them for a great space. As for the Jews, they at first watched the coming of the stone, for it was of a white color, and could therefore not only be perceived by the great noise it made, but could be seen also before it came by its brightness. Accordingly, the watchmen that sat upon the towers and gave them notice when the engine (catapult) was let go, and the stone came from it, and cried out in their own country language ‘THE SON IS COMING;’ so that those that were in its way stood off.” [Josephus, The Wars of the Jews, 5.7.3(270-273)]. The translator’s footnote says “What should be the meaning of this signal or watchword, when the watchmen saw a stone coming from the engine, ‘THE SON IS COMING,’ or what mistake there is in the reading, I cannot tell. The manuscripts, both Greek and Latin, all agree in this reading and I cannot approve of any groundless conjectural alteration of the text.” Whitson, William, The Works of Josephus, Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, MA, 1987, page 710.
31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 32 “But of that day or hour, no one knows,
We must be vigilant and prepared at all times.
neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
This has been used by some as an argument against the divinity of Jesus. There is One God in three persons. The partition of duties/knowledge among the three persons is one of the reasons why the Trinity is called a mystery.
“It is sometimes turned into a reproach against the only begotten God that He did not know the day and the hour. It is said that, though God, born of God, He is not in the perfection of divine nature, since He is subjected to the limitation of ignorance, namely, to an external force stronger than Himself, triumphing, as it were, over His weakness. The heretics in their frenzy would try to drive us to this blasphemous interpretation: that He is thus captive to this external limitation, which makes such a confession inevitable. The words are those of the Lord Himself. What could be more unholy, we ask, than to corrupt His express assertion by our attempt to explain it away? But, before we investigate the meaning and occasion of these words, let us first appeal to the judgment of common sense. It is credible, that He, who stands to all things as the author (see Hebrews 12:2) of their present and future, should not know all things? ... All that is derives from God alone in its origin, and has in Him alone the efficient cause of its present state and future development. Can anything be beyond the reach of His nature, through which is effected, and in which is contained, all that is and shall be? Jesus Christ knows the thoughts of the mind, as it is now, stirred by present motives, and as it will be tomorrow, aroused by the impulse of future desires. ... Whenever God says that He does not know, He professes ignorance indeed, but is not under the defect of ignorance. It is not because of the infirmity of ignorance that He does not know, but because it is not yet the time to speak, or in the divine plan to act. ... This knowledge is not, therefore, a change from ignorance, but the coming of a fullness of time. He waits still to know, but we cannot suppose that He does not know. Therefore His not knowing what He knows, and His knowing what He does not know, is nothing else than a divine economy in word and deed” [Saint Hilary of Poiters (between A.D. 356-359), The Trinity, 9,58-62].
St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church,
Picayune, MS http://www.scborromeo.org
THIRTY-THIRD
SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18, MARK 13:24-32
(Daniel 12:1-3; Psalm 16; Hebrews 10:11-14, 18)
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18, MARK 13:24-32
(Daniel 12:1-3; Psalm 16; Hebrews 10:11-14, 18)
KEY VERSE: "But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father" (v 32).
TO KNOW: Mark used apocalyptic language from the Hebrew Scriptures (Ezekiel, Daniel, Zechariah) to speak of the end-times and Christ's final coming. Christ's followers were encouraged to stand firm in their faith that God would intervene and vindicate them. After a period of tribulation in which the very cosmos would be shaken, Christ will come with "great power and glory" (Mk 13:26) to bring salvation to God's creation. The exact "day or hour" (v 32) of Christ's return was not a part of the revelation he came to impart. His followers were to be prepared for his coming whenever it might occur. The blooming fig tree, a symbol of Israel's Messianic days, suggested hope in the coming fruitful harvest of justice.
TO LOVE: Do I trust in God's plan for my life despite suffering?
TO SERVE: Lord God, help me to be ever ready for the coming of your Son.
NOTE: It is helpful for Mark’s readers to realize the special type of literature they will be involved with in chapter 13. Jesus’ talk about “the end” and the signs that would accompany it belongs to the type of first-century writing known as “apocalyptic.” In the early church, apocalyptic writing was used to communicate hope to fearful people by revealing how God would definitively save his faithful ones from any and all evil forces at the end of time (See the Book of Revelation). Apocalyptic literature made up a small (in content) but very significant (in meaning) part of Christianity’s first gospel message.
BIBLE SUNDAY
Bible Sunday is celebrated on the Sunday before American Thanksgiving. It was founded in 1915 by the American Bible Society. It's a celebration that focuses on the place of the Scriptures in our daily lives; it's also a time to support Bible distribution efforts all over the world. Use At Home with the Word, an Advent-to-Advent schedule of lectionary readings, or another lectionary resource such as the Magnificat, The Word Among us, or This Day.
Sunday 18
November 2018
Week I Psalter. 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Daniel 12:1-3. Psalm 15(16):5, 8-11. Hebrews 10:11-14, 18. Mark 13:24-32.
Daniel 12:1-3. Psalm 15(16):5, 8-11. Hebrews 10:11-14, 18. Mark 13:24-32.
Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope – Psalm
15(16):5, 8-11.
‘Those who are wise will shine as brightly as the expanse of the
heavens.’
Amid the many devastations occurring in our world we could
easily jump to the conclusion that we are living in the end times. We are
reminded in Mark’s Gospel that only God the Father knows the day and the hour!
It will be of no benefit to dwell on the ‘when’. We need to be
watchful, but our focus should be allowing God to lead us each day. The
psalmist stresses this, writing that walking each day with our maker brings us
abounding joy. Today, we could re-read the psalm. Our God will show us the path
of life today.
Dedication of Churches of Saints Peter and Paul
Saint of the Day for November 18
 |
| The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican | photo by Fczarnowski - Statue of Saint Paul in front of the facade of the Basilica of Saint Paul outside the Wall, Rome | photo by Berthold Werner |
The Story of the Dedication of the Churches of Saints Peter and
Paul
St. Peter’s is probably the most famous church in Christendom.
Massive in scale and a veritable museum of art and architecture, it began on a
much humbler scale. Vatican Hill was a simple cemetery where believers gathered
at Saint Peter’s tomb to pray. In 319, Constantine built a basilica on the site
that stood for more than a thousand years until, despite numerous restorations,
it threatened to collapse. In 1506, Pope Julius II ordered it razed and
reconstructed, but the new basilica was not completed and dedicated for more
than two centuries.
St. Paul’s Outside-the-Walls stands near the Abaazia delle Tre
Fontane, where Saint Paul is believed to have been beheaded. The largest church
in Rome until St. Peter’s was rebuilt, the basilica also rises over the
traditional site of its namesake’s grave. The most recent edifice was
constructed after a fire in 1823. The first basilica was also Constantine’s
doing.
Constantine’s building projects enticed the first of a
centuries-long parade of pilgrims to Rome. From the time the basilicas were
first built until the empire crumbled under “barbarian” invasions, the two
churches, although miles apart, were linked by a roofed colonnade of marble
columns.
Reflection
Peter, the rough fisherman whom Jesus named the rock on which
the Church is built, and the educated Paul, reformed persecutor of Christians,
Roman citizen, and missionary to the gentiles, are the original odd couple. The
major similarity in their faith-journeys is the journey’s end: both, according
to tradition, died a martyr’s death in Rome—Peter on a cross and Paul beneath
the sword. Their combined gifts shaped the early Church and believers have
prayed at their tombs from the earliest days.
LECTIO: 33RD SUNDAY OF
ORDINARY TIME (B)
Lectio Divina:
Sunday, November 18, 2018
Last Discourse
Mark 13:24-32
Mark 13:24-32
1. OPENING PRAYER
Shaddai, God of the mountain,
You who make of our fragile life
the rock of Your dwelling place,
lead our mind
to strike the rock of the desert,
so that water may gush to quench our thirst.
May the poverty of our feelings
cover us as with a mantle in the darkness of the night
and may it open our heart to hear the echo of silence
until the dawn,
wrapping us with the light of the new morning,
may bring us,
with the spent embers of the fire of the shepherds of the Absolute
who have kept vigil for us close to the divine Master,
the flavor of the holy memory.
You who make of our fragile life
the rock of Your dwelling place,
lead our mind
to strike the rock of the desert,
so that water may gush to quench our thirst.
May the poverty of our feelings
cover us as with a mantle in the darkness of the night
and may it open our heart to hear the echo of silence
until the dawn,
wrapping us with the light of the new morning,
may bring us,
with the spent embers of the fire of the shepherds of the Absolute
who have kept vigil for us close to the divine Master,
the flavor of the holy memory.
2. LECTIO
a) The text:
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."
b) A moment of silence:
Let the sound of the Word echo in us.
3. MEDITATIO
a) A few questions:
- After that tribulation. Life bears the signs of labor, the seal of a death
pregnant with new life. Can we count ourselves among the elect gathered from
the four winds?
- The Son of man coming in the clouds: Will we be capable of raising our eyes from our miserable things so as to see Him coming on the horizon of our story?
- From the fig tree learn: We have so much to learn and we need not look far. Nature is the first book of God. Are we willing to go through its pages or do we tear its pages, thinking that we own it?
- All things pass away; only the Word of God remains forever. How many are the vain words, the dreams and pleasures inexorably swallowed by time that carries away everything that has an end! Is the rock on which we have built our lives the rock of the Word of the living God?
- Of that day or that hour no one knows: it is not for us to know. The Father knows. Are we open to putting our trust in Him?
- The Son of man coming in the clouds: Will we be capable of raising our eyes from our miserable things so as to see Him coming on the horizon of our story?
- From the fig tree learn: We have so much to learn and we need not look far. Nature is the first book of God. Are we willing to go through its pages or do we tear its pages, thinking that we own it?
- All things pass away; only the Word of God remains forever. How many are the vain words, the dreams and pleasures inexorably swallowed by time that carries away everything that has an end! Is the rock on which we have built our lives the rock of the Word of the living God?
- Of that day or that hour no one knows: it is not for us to know. The Father knows. Are we open to putting our trust in Him?
b) A key to the reading:
The great change of the cosmos described
by Mark lies between metaphor and reality and proclaims the imminence of the
end of time as an introduction to an immensely new world. The coming of the Son
in the clouds opens up for humanity a heavenly dimension. He is not an
intransigent judge, but a powerful Savior who appears in the splendor of divine
glory to reunite the elect, to make them share in eternal life in the blessed
reign of heaven. Mark does not mention a judgment, threat or sentence…so as to
bring hope and increase the expectation, he proclaims the final victory.
v. 24-25. After that tribulation the sun
will be darkened… a new reality is
contrasted with the great tribulation. The Evangelist thinks that the parousia
is near at hand, even though the hour of its coming is uncertain. The confusion
of the cosmos is described in terms typical of apocalyptic language, in a
stylized and accurate form: the four elements are ranged two by two in a
parallel manner. The reference to Isa 13:10 is clear when he speaks of the sun
and the moon being darkened and to Isa 34:4 when he speaks of the shaking of
the powers in heaven.
v. 26. Then they will see the Son of man
coming in clouds with great power and glory. This is the peak of Mark’s eschatological discourse.
The time of expectation is over; this is the time for restoring everything in
Christ. The end of the world is no more than the promise of the glorious
parousia of the Son foreseen by Dan 7:13. The clouds point to the presence of
God who in all His self-revelations uses clouds to come down to earth. The
attributes of divine sovereignty, power and glory, mentioned by Jesus before
the Sanhedrin (Mk 14:62) are not a threat to humankind, but the solemn
proclamation of the messianic dignity that transcends the humanity of Christ.
v. 27. And then He will send out the
angels, and gather His elect from the four winds, from the ends of heaven. By this first act of the Son of man, the meaning
of the true parousia is made clear: the eschatological salvation of the people
of God spread throughout the world. All the elect will be reunited. No one will
be forgotten. There is no mention of punishment of enemies nor of punitive
catastrophes, but only of unification. It will be the only place because from
the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven the angels will gather people
around Christ. This, indeed, is a glorious meeting.
v. 28. From the fig tree learn its
lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you
know that summer is near. The
parable of the fig tree points to the certainty and nearness of the proclaimed events,
especially the coming of the Son of Man, prefigured in the imminent passion,
death and resurrection. The imperative addressed to the listeners, Learn!, reveals
the implied meaning of the similitude: it is an invitation to penetrate deeply
into the meaning of Jesus’ words in order to understand God’s plan for the
world. When the fig tree loses its leaves in late autumn, later than other
plants, even past springtime, it announces the coming of summer.
v. 29. So also, when you see these
things taking place, you know that He is near, at the very gates. Human beings may know God’s plan from the events that
take place. What are the things that have to take place? Mark spoke of the
abomination of desolation in v. 14. That is the sign, the sign of the end that
is the parousia, the coming of the Son of man. Those things that are the
beginning of woes will bring humankind to a new birth, because He is
near, at the very gates.
v. 30. Truly, I say to you, this
generation will not pass away before these things take place. Many hypotheses have been put forward concerning the
meaning of this generation. It is more a Christological
expression than a chronological affirmation. The early Church kept affirming
the uncertainty of the precise moment, even though it held on to the hope that
the Lord would come soon. Every believer, in any age, who reads this passage,
can think of him/herself as being part of this generation.
v. 31. Heaven and earth will pass away,
but My words will not pass away. The
certainty that the words of the Lord will never pass away adds confidence to
whoever reflects on the decline of the world and the things of the world. To
build on the Word of God means that the abomination of desolation will not last
and that the sun, moon and stars will not lose their splendor. The present time
of God becomes for human beings the only way to their own being because, if in
their speech the present never becomes the past, then they need not fear death.
v. 32. But of that day or that hour no
one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the
Father. The end is certain, but the knowledge as
to when it will come is reserved to the Father. Jesus never made any precise
statement on this matter. Thus, anyone who pretends to have some presumed
teaching of his own is lying. The end is one of the many unfathomable secrets
that belong to the Father. The mission of the Son is to establish the kingdom,
not the revelation of the fulfillment of human history. Thus Jesus shares
deeply in our human condition. Through His voluntary kenosis, He even complies
with the possibility of not knowing the day or the hour of the end of the
world.
c) Reflections:
Tribulation is like daily bread in human
life and it is the sign of the coming of the Son of God. A life pregnant with a
new face cannot not know the pain of childbirth. The children of the Most High,
dispersed to the ends of the earth, far from one another, will be gathered from
the four winds by the divine breath that breathes over the earth. The Son of
Man comes in the clouds, whereas our eyes are fixed on the ground, on our puny
works, lost between the tears of delusion and those of failure. If we could
raise our eyes from our miserable things to see Him coming on the horizon of
our history, then our life will be filled with light and we shall learn to read
His writing in the sand of our thoughts and will, of our falls and dreams, of
our attitudes and learning. If we have the courage to leaf through the pages of
daily life and there gather the seeds fallen into the furrows of our being,
then our hearts will find peace. Then vain words, pleasures swallowed by time,
will only be a lost memory because the rock on which we would have built will
be the rock of the Word of the living God. If no one knows the day or the hour,
then it is not for us to go guessing. The Father knows and we trust in Him.
4. ORATIO
Wisdom 9:1-6, 9-11
O God of my fathers and Lord of mercy,
who hast made all things by Thy Word,
and by Thy wisdom hast formed man,
to have dominion over the creatures Thou hast made,
and rule the world in holiness and righteousness,
and pronounce judgment in uprightness of soul,
give me the wisdom that sits by Thy throne,
and do not reject me from among Thy servants.
For I am Thy slave and the son of Thy maidservant,
a man who is weak and short-lived,
with little understanding of judgment and laws;
for even if one is perfect among the sons of men,
yet without the wisdom that comes from Thee
he will be regarded as nothing.
With Thee is wisdom,
who knows Thy works and was present when Thou didst make the world,
and who understand what is pleasing in Thy sight
and what is right according to Thy commandments.
Send her forth from the holy heavens,
and from the throne of Thy glory send her,
that she may be with me and toil,
and that I may learn what is pleasing to Thee.
For she knows and understands all things,
and she will guide me wisely in my actions
and guard me with her glory.
O God of my fathers and Lord of mercy,
who hast made all things by Thy Word,
and by Thy wisdom hast formed man,
to have dominion over the creatures Thou hast made,
and rule the world in holiness and righteousness,
and pronounce judgment in uprightness of soul,
give me the wisdom that sits by Thy throne,
and do not reject me from among Thy servants.
For I am Thy slave and the son of Thy maidservant,
a man who is weak and short-lived,
with little understanding of judgment and laws;
for even if one is perfect among the sons of men,
yet without the wisdom that comes from Thee
he will be regarded as nothing.
With Thee is wisdom,
who knows Thy works and was present when Thou didst make the world,
and who understand what is pleasing in Thy sight
and what is right according to Thy commandments.
Send her forth from the holy heavens,
and from the throne of Thy glory send her,
that she may be with me and toil,
and that I may learn what is pleasing to Thee.
For she knows and understands all things,
and she will guide me wisely in my actions
and guard me with her glory.
5. CONTEMPLATIO
Lord, I gaze upon the tender branch of
the fig tree that is my life and I wait. As the shadows of evening lengthen
along my path, I think back on Your words. What peace floods my heart when my
thoughts dwell on You! In Your own good time, my waiting for You will be
fulfilled. In my time Your expectations of me will be fulfilled. What a mystery
is time, past, future and the eternal present! Today’s waves break on the
burning experience of Your presence and remind me of games in the sand that are
always washed away by the sea. And yet, I am happy - happy that I am nothing,
happy with the sand that will not last, because once more Your Word goes on
writing. We seek to pause in time, writing and talking, achieving excellent
works that stand the ravages of centuries. You, however, pause to write on sand
to achieve works of love that have the perfume of a caressed gazelle standing
still, that have the sound of formless voices that are the basis of daily life,
the taste of a doused vendetta of a returned embrace… works that do not last
except in the heart of God and in the memory of the living who are sensitive to
the flight of a dove in the heaven of their existence. Tender love of my soul,
may I, each day, look up to the clouds and be consumed by the nostalgia of Your
return. Amen.
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét