33rd Sunday In Ordinary Time
15 November 2009
First reading Daniel 12:1-3
‘At that time Michael will stand up, the great prince who mounts guard over your people. There is going to be a time of great distress, unparalleled since nations first came into existence. When that time comes, your own people will be spared, all those whose names are found written in the Book. Of those who lie sleeping in the dust of the earth many will awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting disgrace. The learned will shine as brightly as the vault of heaven, and those who have instructed many in virtue, as bright as stars for all eternity.’
Psalm or canticle: Psalm 15:5,8-11
Second reading Hebrews 10:11-14,18
All the priests stand at their duties every day, offering over and over again the same sacrifices which are quite incapable of taking sins away. He, on the other hand, has offered one single sacrifice for sins, and then taken his place forever, at the right hand of God, where he is now waiting until his enemies are made into a footstool for him. By virtue of that one single offering, he has achieved the eternal perfection of all whom he is sanctifying. When all sins have been forgiven, there can be no more sin offerings.
Gospel Mark 13:24-32
Jesus said, ‘In those days, after the time of distress, the sun will be darkened, the moon will lose its brightness, the stars will come falling from heaven and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory; then too he will send the angels to gather his chosen from the four winds, from the ends of the world to the ends of heaven.
‘Take the fig tree as a parable: as soon as its twigs grow supple and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. So with you when you see these things happening: know that he is near, at the very gates. I tell you solemnly, before this generation has passed away all these things will have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
‘But as for that day or hour, nobody knows it, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son; no one but the Father.’
Reflection
By Mayzelle Atienza
… when you see these things happening, you know that it is near…
I always hear about ‘signs of the times’ and that the ‘end is near’ and it almost always brings fear to my heart. I usually get panic attacks as I look into my half-finished life and think about all those other things I want to accomplish and do – like I want to get married, have kids, travel around the world, etc! And I guess that is a normal reaction, normal faithless reaction! What is there to fear really? Isn’t meeting God face to face which will happen when we die and in his Second Coming, the end-all and be-all of our Christian life here on earth? Isn’t it what we’re striving for?
The recent back-to-back typhoons and extreme flooding here in our country and the earthquakes which happened concurrently in Indonesia and Somalia brought new discussions of the ‘signs of times’. Is the end really near? As I reflect on this question, I realized that yes, indeed, maybe these are indeed the signs of the times and that the end is really near. But should I be afraid of it? I shouldn’t fear it but I need to prepare for it. I need to live each day for God in preparation for our destined face-to-face meeting. And when I am ready and prepared, the unknown day or the hour wouldn’t really matter so much after all.
Lord, allow us to prepare for that fateful unknown day and hour when we will meet you face to face. Pacify our hearts Lord that we may not be afraid but rather be excited at the prospect of an eternity with you.
Textbook God
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