Reflection for November 13, 2022

Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)

Malachi 3:19-20A | Psalm 98:5-6, 7-8, 9 | 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12 | Luke 21:5-19

This Sunday is the second to last Sunday of our liturgical year. As we approach the end of the Church year, our Gospel invites us to focus on justice, effortfulness and perseverance. ​

Kate, a newly commissioned Minister of the Word was assigned to proclaim the second reading in a big jampacked church one Sunday. She was a bag of nerves. She trembled on her way to the ambo and her knees were shaking as she stood to read. In her sheer nervousness, she started reading this way: “A proclamation from the letter of Saint Paul to the Philippines.” And while she proceeded with the reading, she had mispronounced many words. And to conclude the reading, she said: “The end of the world”. And the people responded: “Thanks be to God.”
In the first reading, the prophet Malachi, sends a warning to those who have returned to Jerusalem from a 70-year captivity in Babylon. He warns them that the day of justice is coming and that it is going to spell doom for all the arrogant and evildoers and healing for those who fear God's name.

Mark, a call center agent went to his doctor and asked for a certificate for time off work. His doctor, Erin, said, "You're just plain lazy." "Sure, Doc, but give me a medical name for that, because I have to report back to my team leader." Doctor Erin wrote, "Dx: Mores desidiosus (lazy behavior), Rx: 30 days bed rest without pay".

The early Christians expected Jesus to come again in glory soon, bringing history to its climax, judging the living and the dead. There were members in the church at Thessalonica who, perhaps misled by some early gnosticizing movement, believed that the day of the Lord had already come. Some responded to this prospect by abandoning their customary work. They dropped all their responsibilities and made nuisances of themselves in the community. Paul urges the community to follow his example and to "get to work and keep working". To his point, laziness is not the passivity it pretends to be. It is active obedience to something other than Jesus Christ. If Jesus comes again today, will he find you busy?

Fr. Matthew Chu Li-teh, S.J. was arrested and put in prison in Shanghai, China. His crime was preaching in his church. He immediately began to share Christ while he was in prison. He had a trial. It was a mockery of justice, and he was sentenced to 27 years. He did his 27 years, got out, and wrote these words: “Both prisoners and jailers asked many questions, and we had a more fruitful ministry there than we could have expected in church. God was better served by our presence in prison than if we had been free."
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In setting the scene for today’s Gospel, Jesus and his disciples are in Jerusalem for the final Passover. They are in the Temple, and he overhears their admiration and says something striking and unsettling: “All that you see here — the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.” Jesus was probably sad when he announced that the beautiful temple will be destroyed - as indeed it was in the year 70 AD. Let's not forget that even the most lasting things in this world will pass away some day. In the second part of today's Gospel, Jesus warns that his followers will face persecution for their beliefs. He says that they will need to withstand the social and political trials because of his name. Faithful disciples will have many adversaries, including even their own families, who will hate them “because of my name.” Luke presents persecution as an opportunity for the followers of Jesus for “It will lead to your giving testimony” (Luke 21:13). What looks like an ending to them is actually a beginning. They must begin to go out into the world. They must step out of their comfort zones. They must start to encounter people and experiences that help them see beyond themselves. We know that the world can be hard and sometimes scary and Jesus knows that. But Jesus is letting us all in on the secret. The secret isn't about when the end of the world is coming. The secret isn't that God is going to send all kinds of terrible things to destroy the earth. The secret is that God is calling us to persevere in the face of persecution. Perseverance will lead us to our salvation. Jesus is assuring us that He is present to all believers, even in times of trouble. If we are faithful to Christ, we will have the strength to go on no matter what. Many bad things would happen, but that we are to trust that He would be with us through it all.
The day of the Lord is coming so let us keep on working. Let us persevere on doing God's work. Amen. <enrique,ofs>