Homily
for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C)
Based
on Lk 21:5-19 (Gospel),
Mal 3:19 – 20a
(First Reading) and 2 Th 3:7-12 (Second Reading)
From
the Series: “Reflections and Teachings of the Desert”
END TIME SIGNS
“What
sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?” (Lk 21:7)
The Gospel
reading for this 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C) is from Lk
21:5-19. First title is “Discourse on the
destruction of Jerusalem:a Footnote a says “In
17:22-37, Lk, following one of his sources, speaks of the coming of Jesus in
glory at the end of the Age (aeon). Here, he follows Mk where two perspectives
merge: that of the final coming and that of the destruction of Jerusalem; cf.
Mt 24:1+.”
Parallel texts are:
1.
Mt 24:1-3 -
Jesus left the Temple, as he was going away, his disciples came up to
draw his attention to the Temple buildings (v. 1). He said to them in reply, “You see all these?
I tell you solemnly, not a single stone will be left here on another: everything will be destroyed (v.
2) And when he was sitting on the Mount of Olives the disciples came and asked
him privately, “Tell us, when is this going to happen, and what will be the sign of your coming,b
and of the end of the age (v. 3). Footnote b
says “The Greek word ‘parousia’:
it means ‘presence’ and in the Graeco-Roman society was used for official
visits by royalty. The Christians adopted it as a technical term for the
glorious coming of Christ, cf. 1 Co 15:23+. It is not inevitably linked up with
Christ’s final coming: it can also refer to the power he will display when he
comes to establish his messianic kingdom (the Church) in the ruins of Judaism;
cf. 16:27-28. In this passage Matthew clearly implies that he has combined the
two themes.”
2.
Mk 13:1-4 - As he was leaving the Temple one of his disciples said to him, ‘Look at
the size of those signs, Master! Look at the size of those buildings!’ (v. 1)
And Jesus said to him, “You see these great buildings? Not a single stone will
be left on another: everything will be destroyed” (v. 2) And while he was
sitting facing the Temple, on the Mount
of Olives, Peter, James, John, and Andrew questioned him privately (v. 3).
“Tell us, when will this happen, and what sign will there be that all this is
about to be fulfilled?” (v. 4).
Verse 5, 6
and 7 say: When some were talking about the Temple, remarking how it was
adorned with fine stonework and votive offerings, he said, ‘All these things
you are staring at now—the time (aeon) will come when not a single stone
will be left on another: everything will be destroyed.” And they put
this question to him, “Master, they said, when will this happen? And then what
sign will there be that this is about to take place?”
The second title is “The Warning
Signs”.
Parallel texts are:
1.
Mt 24:4-14 - And Jesus answered them, Take
care that no one deceives you; (v. 4) Because many will come using my name and
saying, “I am the Christ”,c and they will deceive many (v. 5) You will hear of wars and rumors of wars; do
not be alarmed, for this is something that must happen, but the end will not be yet (v. 6). For nation
will fight against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be faminesd
and earthquakes here and theree (v. 7). All this is only the
beginning of the birthpangsf (v. 8). Then they will hand you to be
tortured and be put to death; you will be hated by all nations on account of my
name (v. 9). And then many will fall
away; men will betray one another and hate one another (v. 10). Many false
prophets will arise; they will deceive many (v. 11), and with the increase of
lawlessness, love of most men will grow
cold (v. 12); but the man who stands firm to the end will be saved (v. 13).
This Good News of the kingdom will be proclaimed to the whole worldg
as a witness to all nations. And then the end will come (v. 14). Footnote c
says “Before the year 70 several
impostors posed as messiah.”; Footnote
d says “Add.
‘plagues’, cf. Lk 21:11.” ; Footnote
e says “Cf.
Is 8:21; 13:13; 19:2; Jr 21:9; 34:17; Ezk 5:12; Am 4:9-11; 8:8; 2 Ch 15:6; Footnote f says “Cf Is 13:8; 26:17; 66:7; Jr 6:24; 13:21; Ho 13:13; Mi 4:9-10. Jewish
literature uses this metaphor to describe the coming of the messianic kingdom;
Footnote g
says “The ‘inhabited world’
(oikoumene), i.e. the Graeco-Roman world. All the Jews of the empire are
destined to hear the Good News before punishment comes to Israel, cf. Rm 10:18.
The earliest ‘witness’ will be directed against the faithlessness of Judaism,
cf. Mt 10:18. Before 70 AD, the gospel had already reached the main parts of
the Roman empire, cf. 1 Th 1:8; Rm 1:5,8; Col 1:6,23.”; and Footnote
h says “The fall of Jerusalem.”
2.
Mk 13 - As
he was leaving the Temple one of his disciples said to him, ‘Look at the size
of those stones, Master! Look at the size of those buildings!’ And Jesus said
to him, ‘You see these great buildings? Not a single stone will be left on
another: everything will be destroyed.’ And while he was sitting facing the
Temple, on the Mount of Olives, Peter, James, John and Andrew questioned him
privately. ‘Tell us, when is this going to happen, and what sign will there be
that all this is about to be fulfilled?’ Then Jesus began to tell them, ‘Take
care that no one deceives you. Many will come using my name and saying, “I am
he’, and they will deceive many. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do
not be alarmed, this is something that must happen, but the end will not be yet.
For nation will fight against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be
earthquakes here and there; there will be famines. This is the beginning of the
birthpangs. ‘Be on your guard: they will hand you over to sanhedrins; you will
be beaten in synagogues; and you stand before governors and kings for my sake,
to bear witness before them, since the Good news must first be proclaimed to
all the nations. ‘And when they lead you away to hand you over, do not worry
beforehand about what to say; no, say whatever is given to you when the time
comes, because it is not you who will be speaking: it will be the Holy Spirit.
Brother will betray brother to death, and the father his child; children will
rise against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all
men on account of my name; but the man who stands firm to the end will be
saved. When you see the disastrous abomination set up where it ought not to be
(let the reader understand), then those in Judea must escape to the mountains;
if a man is on the housetop, he must not come down to go into the house to
collect any of his belongings; if a man is in the fields, he must not turn back
to fetch his cloak. Alas for those with child, or with babies at the breast,
when those days come! Pray that this may not be in winter. For in those days
there will be such distress as, until now, has not been equaled since the
beginning when God created the world, nor ever will be again. And if the Lord
has not shortened that time, no one would have survived; but he did shorten the
time, for the sake of the elect whom he chose. And if anyone says to you then,
‘Look, here is the Christ’ or ‘Look, he is there’, do not believe it; for false
Christs and false prophets will arise and produce signs and portents to deceive
the elect, if that were possible. You therefore must be on your guard. I have
forewarned you of everything. But in those days, after that 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. ‘Be on your guard, stay awake, because you never know
when the time will come. It is like a man traveling abroad: he has gone from
home, and left his servants in charge, each to his own task; and he has told
the doorkeeper to stay awake. So stay awake, because you do not know when the
master of the house is coming, evening, midnight, cockcrow, dawn; if he comes
unexpectedly, he must not find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all:
Stay awake!’ (v. 37).
Verses 8
and 9 say: “Take care not to be deceived,’ he said ‘because many will come
using my name and saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time is near at hand.’ Refuse to
join them! And when you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened; for
this is something that must happen but the end is not too soon.”
Parallel
text for verse 9 is Dn 2:28 that says: …but there is a God in heaven who reveals
mysteries, and who has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what is to take place in the
days to come. These, then, are the dream and the visions that passed through
your head as you lay in bed.i Footnote i says “The
allegories in Dn, of which this is the first, are veiled description of the
great successive empires of history: neo-Babylonian, Median, Persian, Greek
(Alexander’s Asiatic kingdom governed by his successors). The allegory is here
borrowed from ancient speculations on the ages of the world, the symbolism
being used founded of metals in descending scale of value. Las of all comes the
messianic kingdom. The empires of earth collapse and give place to a new
kingdom which, being founded by God, is everlasting: the ‘kingdom’ of heaven
cf. Mt 4:17+. Jesus will later call himself ‘Son of Man’, cf Dn 7:13+ and Mt
8:20+: he will also refer to himself, cf. Mt 21:42-44; Lk 20:17-18 as the
keystone formerly rejected, Ps 118:22, and as the foundation stone of Is 28:16,
with a clear allusion to the stone which breaks away from the mountain and
crushes him on whom it falls, Dn 2:34, 44-45.”
Verses 10
and 11 say: Then he said to them,
“Nation will fight against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be
great earthquakes, and plagues, and famines, here and there; there will be
fearful sights and great signs from heaven.
Parallel
text for verse 10 is Is 19:2 that says: I
will stir up the Egyptians against each other and they shall fight every
man against his brother, friend against
friend, city against city, kingdom against kingdom.
Verse 12 says: But before all
this happens, men will seize you and persecute you; they will hand you over to
the synagogues and to imprisonment, and bring you before kings and governors
because of my name.
Parallel texts are:
1.
Lk 12:11-12 - When they take you before synagogues and magistrates and authorities,
do not worry about how to defend yourselves or what to say (v. 11), because
when the time comes, the holy Spirit will teach you what you must say (v. 12).
2.
Mt 10:17-22 - The missionaries will be
persecutedg Beware of men: they will hand you over to
sanhedrinsh and scourge you in their synagogues (v. 17). You will be
dragged before governors and kings for
my sake, to bear witness before them and the pagans (v. 18). But when they hand you over, do not worry
about how you are to speak or what you are to say; what you are to say will be given to you when the time comes (v.
19); because it is not you who will be speaking; the Spirit of your Father will
be speaking in you (v. 20). Brother will betray brother to death, and the
father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to
death (v. 21). You will be hated by all men on account of my
name; but the man who stands to the end will be saved (v. 22). Footnote g says “The
instruction of vv. 17-39 clearly suppose a horizon wider than that of this
first mission of the Twelve: they must have been issued at a later date (note
their situation in Mk and Lk). Matthew puts them here to complete his
missionary’s handbook.”; and Footnote h says “The small provincial Sanhedrins and also the
Great Sanhedrin of Jerusalem; cf. 5:21-22.”
3.
Jh 15:20 - Remember
the word I said to you: A servant is not greater than his master. If they
persecuted me, they will persecute you too; if they kept my word, they will
keep yours as well.
4.
Jh 16:1-2 - I have told you all this so that your faith may not be shaken (v. 1). They
will expel you from the synagogues, and indeed the hour is coming when everyone
who kills you will think he is doing a holy duty to God (v. 2).
5.
Ac 4:13 - They
were astonished at the assurance shown by Peter and John, considering they were
uneducated laymen; and they recognized as the associates of Jesus….
Verse 13 to
17 say: And that will be your
opportunity to bear witness. Keep this carefully in mind, you are not to prepare your defense, Because
I myselfb shall give you an eloquence and wisdom that none of your
opponents will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by
parents, brothers, relations and friends; and
some of you will put to death. You will be hated by all men on account
of my name…Footnote b says “Lk in this place, assigns to Jesus the role reserved by Mt 10:20; Mk
13:11; Lk 12:12 to the Spirit of the Father (Mt), the Holy Spirit (Mk and Lk),
Ac 6:10. Cf. Jn 16:13-15.”
Parallel text for verse 15 is Ac
6:10 that says: They found they could
not get the better of him because of his wisdom, and because it was the Spirit
that prompted what he said.
Verse 18 says: but not a hair on your head will be lost.
Parallel texts are:
1.
Lk 12:7 - Why,
every hair on your head has been counted. There is no need to be afraid: you
are worth more than hundreds of sparrows.
2.
Mt 10:30 - Why,
every hair on your head has been counted.
Verse 19 says: Your endurance
will win you your lives.
Parallel text is Heb
10:36, 39 that says:
You will need endurance to do God’s will and gain what he has promised (v. 36). You and I are not
the sort of people who draw back, and are lost by it; we are the sort who keep faithful until our
souls are saved (v. 39).
The First Reading is from Mal 3:19 – 20a.
Verse 19
says: For the day is coming now, burning
like a furnace;i and all the arrogant and the evildoers will be like
stubble. The day that is coming is going to burn them up, says Yahweh Sabaoth, leaving
them neither root nor stalk.
Footnote i says “For
the fire on the day of Yahweh, cf. Is 10:16f; 30:27; Zp 1:18; 3:8; Jr 21:14.”
Parallel
text is Am 5:18 that says: Trouble for
those who are waiting so longingly for the day of Yahweh!p What will
this day of Yahweh mean for you? It will mean darkness, not light…q
Footnote p says “Confident in its election, Dt 7:6+, Israel
serenely awaits God’s intervention which is bound to be in its favor. To this
expected ‘day of Yahweh’ Amos opposes the prophetic concept of it: the day of
Yahweh is a day of wrath, Zp 1:15; Ezk 22:24; Lm 2:22, against an Israel
hardened in sin: a day of darkness, tears, massacre, terror, Am 5:18-20; 2:16;
8:9-10,13; Is 2:6-21; Jr 30:5-7; Zp 1:4-18, cf. Jl 1:15-20; 2:1-11. All these
tetxs contain threats of a disastrous invasion (Assyrian or Chaldean). During
the Exile, the day of Yahweh becomes an object of hope: the wrath of God will
now turn against Israel’s oppressors, Ob 15; Babylon. Is 13:6,9; Jr 50:27;
51:2; Lm 1:21; Egypt, Is 19:16; Jr 46:10,21; Ezk 30:2; Philistia, Jr 47:4;
Edom, Is 34:8; 63:4. This day, therefore, is to bring Israel’s recovery, a
sense found even in Amos 9:11, and also in Is 11:11; 12:1; 30:26; cf. Jl 3:4;
4:1. After the Exile, the ‘day of Yahweh’ becomes more and more a day of
‘judgment’ ensuring triumph of the virtuous and the destruction of sinners, Ml
3:19-23; Jb 21:30; Pr 11:4, with the whole world for its theatre, Is.
26:20-27:1; 33:10-16. See also Mt 24:1+. On the cosmic signs that are to
accompany the day of Yahweh, cf. Am 8:9+; and Footnote q says “Cf
Jl 2:1-2; Zp 1:14-18.”
Verse 20a
says: But for you who fear my name, the sun of rigtheounessj will shine out with healing in its rays;k Footnote j says “‘righteousness’ here implies power and
triumph as in Is 41:1+. The title ‘sun of righteousness’ applied to Christ has
to some extent conditioned the liturgy of Christmas and Epiphany.’; and
Footnote k says “Lit. ‘in its wings’.”
Parallel texts are:
1.
Ws 19:9 - They
were like horses at pasture, they skipped like lambs, singing your praises,
LORD, their deliverer.
2.
Lk 1:79…to
give light to those who live in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide
our feet into the way of peace.
3.
Jn 8:12 - When
Jesus spoke to the people again, he said: ‘I am the light of the world; anyone
who follows me will not be walking in the dark; he will have the light of
life’.
The Second Reading is from 2 Th 3:7-12.
Verse 7
says: You know how you are supposed to imitate us;b
now we were not idle when we were with you. Footnote b says “By
imitating Paul , 1 Co 4:16; Ga 4:12; Ph 3:17, Christians will be imitating
Christ, 1 Th 1:6; Ph 2:5; cf Mt 16:24; 1 P 2:21; 1 Jn 2:6; who is the one that
Paul is imitating, 1 Co 11:1. Christians must also imitate God, Ep 5:1 (cf. Mt
5:48), and they must imitate each other, 1 Th 1:7; 2:14; Heb 6:12. Behind this
community of life is the idea of a model of doctrine, Rm 6:17, that has been
received by tradition, v. 6: 1 Co 11:2+; 1 Th 2:13++. The leaders who transmit
the doctrine must themselves be ‘models’
v. 9; Ph 3:17; 1 Tm 1:16; 4:12; Tt 2:7;
1 P 5:3; whose faith and life are to be imitated, Heb 13:7.”
Parallel texts are:
1.
Ac 18:3 - And when he found they were tentmakers, as
the same trade as himself, he lodged with them and they worked together.d Footnote
d says “Though Paul acknowledges the missionary’s right to sustenance, 1 Co
9:6-14; Ga 6:6; 2 Th 3:9; cf. Lk 10:7, he himself always practiced a trade, 1
Co 4:12, not wishing to be a burden on anyone, 1 Th 2:9; 1 Th 3:8; 1 Co 12:13f,
and in order to prove his singleness of purpose, Ac 20:33f; 1 Co 9:15-18; 2 Co
11:7-12. Only from the Philippians did he accept help, Ph 4:10-18; 2 Co 11:8f,
cf. Ac 16:15+. He recommended his followers to do the same to supply their own
needs, 1 Th 4:11f; 2 Th 3:10-12, and those of the poor, Ac 20:35; Ep 4:28.”
2.
1 Co 11:1 - Take me as your model, as I take Christ.
3.
Ga 4:12 - Brothers, all I ask you is that you should
copy me as I copied youf. You have never treated me in an unfriendly
way before… Footnote f says “Probably
by refusing to practice the Law’s ritual, cf. 1 Co 9:21.”
Verse 8 says: nor did we ever have our meals
at anyone’s table without paying for them; no, we worked night and day,
slaving and straining, so as not to burden any of you.
Parallel texts are:
1.
1 Th 2:9 - Let
me remind you, brothers, how hard we used to work, slaving night and day so as
not to be a burden on any of you while we were proclaiming God’s Good News to
you.
2.
Mt 6:11 - Give us today our dailyc bread; Footnote c says “The
Greek word is obscure: this traditional rendering is a probable one. Other
possibilities: ‘necessary for subsistence’ or ‘for tomorrow’. Whatever the
exact translation the sense is that we must ask God for the sustenance we need
in this life but for no more-not for wealth or luxury. The Fathers applied this
text to the bread of the Holy Eucharist.”
Verse 9, 10
and 11 say: This was not because that we
had no right to be, but in order to make ourselves an example for you to
follow. We gave you a rule when we were with you: not to let anyone have any
food is he refused to do any work.c
Now we hear that there are some of you living in idleness, doing
no work themselves but interfering with
everyone else’s. Footnote c says “This
may have been laid down by Jesus Christ, but it may have been a proverb: it has
been called the golden rule for Christian work.”
Parallel
text for verse 9 is Mt 10:10 that
says: …with no haversack for the journey or spare tunic, or footwear or
staff, for the workman deserves his keep.
Verse 12
says: In the Lord Jesus Christ, we order and call on people of this kind
to go on quietly working and earning the food that they eat.
Parallel text is Gn 3:19 that says: With sweat
of your brow you shall eat bread, until you return to the soil, from as you
were taken from it; For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.
Homily: Outstanding point for this Sunday readings is about the Virtue
of Perseverance. Perseverance and patience are related to each other. See Jas
1:2-4.
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