by Fr. Jose “Joesum” Sumampong, Jr.
November 14, 2021
33 rd Sunday in ORDINARY TIME (B)
Thirty Third Sunday in OT (B)
Daniel 12: 1-3 / Psalm 16: 5, 8 -11 /
Hebrews 10: 11-14, 18 / Mark 13: 24-32
THE LAST THINGS
Word: We are reaching the end of the liturgical year. From Sunday to Sunday we followed Jesus in the narrative of Saint Mark. Jesus spoke in parables, healed sick people, drove out demons, discussed with scribes, formed his disciples. We may think that by now we know this Jesus very well.
Yet, only today will He reveal the full dimension of His person. He is to die in a few days. He comes out of the Temple of Jerusalem, never to enter it again. One of his disciples points out to him the beauty of the building: “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” (Mk 13:1)
The only answer of Jesus is: “It will be completely destroyed, there will not remain stone upon stone.” Then, Peter, James, John and Andrew ask Him: ” When will this happen?” The answer of Jesus is his last major discourse, often called “eschatological discourse”, that is, “discourse on the Last Days.”
The passage proclaimed today is the middle part of the discourse. Let us look at today’s gospel. Eschatological discourse often uses dark and startling imagery in juxtaposition with a core message of consolation to announce the victory of light over darkness. Mark incorporates both elements in this passage. There’s is no shortage of frightening imagery: “trials of every sort,” darkened sun and lightless moon, falling stars and shaken heavens. All these converge to present a world in desperate need of salvation, and Mark provides that, too, in the image of “the Son of Man coming in the clouds.”
“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” (Mk 7:26-27). Many experts of the Scriptures have opined that the description of the Son of Man in the above passage is crucial. It is because the description sounds not like a continuation of the list of calamities that will befall the earth but like an intervention by a loving God on behalf of the terrified populace. The triumphant Christ will “dispatch his messengers not to destroy but to gather the “chosen” These messengers will leave no stone upturned, searching from “earth” to “sky” in their effort to rescue the people of God.
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Order: “But 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” (Mk 13:24-25).
We have here a strong argument against those who try to reduce Jesus to his merely human dimension. The angels are “at his beck and call”! This insignificant man who never went out of his small land in Palestine, makes an assurance that he will gather together all men, from the four corners of the world.
In the traditional eschatological discourse from which Jesus borrowed the images, the cosmic upheavals were meant to introduce the great punishment of evil men by God. In today’s gospel passage, from the lips of Jesus himself, we find nothing of that kind. Instead we find here only a “gathering of the elect”. The glorious coming of Jesus during the last days or the end of the world – all this is the occasion for Jesus to gather his own from all the corners of the world. We can look at it as an immense and universal feast!
TO BE WITH JESUS: This is the end of the world. Wars, calamities, persecutions, genocide, the abomination of the desolation, the destruction of the Temple, the profanation of the sacred places by evil men – all these are preparations just for this. Is not this the most tremendous shout of hope a man may hear, even when everything is crumbling around him or even when death approaches and seems to be triumphing?
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Realities: 1. Jimmy got a job in a grocery store, working after school. One day a customer entered the establishment and, after making a purchase of some fruit, whispered, “Throw in a few extra! The boy who was here before used to give me a larger order in return for a ‘tip’.”
“No,” said Jimmy, “I can’t do that; the boss would not approve.”
“But,” said the man, “the boss isn’t in.”
“Oh, yes, he is!” said Jimmy. “My boss is always in. You see, I’m a Christian!” (Our Daily Bread, CONSCIENCE)
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2. An astronomer built a large telescope on the roof of his house and every night he would go up and see wonderful things in the heavens: bright stars, the big white moon, comets and shooting stars. He got so carried away that he got more interested in the marvels of the night than in what was happening during the day.
Then one night he saw a dragon sitting in the very middle of the moon. It had a blue shining body, wings like purple and green glass, many hairy legs, and a strange head with very large eyes. It seemed asleep; it remained perfectly still.
He got so excited that he ran around town waking all his friends to come and see the great discovery he had made, that would bring honor to their town. They came and stood in line to have a look for themselves through the long telescope … at that dragon fast asleep in the middle of the moon. They were all properly impressed.
Then up came an old astronomer, took one look through the glass and smiled. He went around and unscrewed the front lens on the telescope and found a small fly stuck against it – very dead. He told discoverer, “Young man, check your own telescope before it finds things out there … ” (Aesop, SEEING WRONG)
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3. American actor Jed Harris became convinced that he was losing his hearing. He sent to a specialist-who gave him a thorough checkup. The doctor pulled out a gold timepiece and asked, “Can you hear this ticking?”
“Of course,” said Harris. The specialist walked to the door and held up the watch again. “Now can you hear it?”
Harris concentrated and said, “Yes, I can hear it clearly.”
The doctor walked out of the door and into the next room and said, “Can you hear it now?”
“Yes.”
“Mr. Harris,” the doctor said, “there is nothing wrong with your hearing. You just don’t listen.” (Clifton Fadiman LISTENING)
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4. Finally, here is a story that has been told by Mark Link, S.J.: A few years ago a Japanese jetliner crashed into a mountain, killing 520 people. Minutes before the airliner hit the mountain, the passengers were told the plane was doomed. Then the tragedy occurred.
When rescuers reached the plane, one of the things they found in the debris was a pocket calendar that belonged to a Japanese businessman. Across the pages of the tiny calendar the man had scribbled several hasty notes as the finals minutes ticked off.
For example, one note read, “We are not going to make it… I’m sad!’ A second note addressed to his family read, “To think that our dinner last night was the last time (we would be together).” And a final note addressed to his three children read, “Be good, work hard, and help your mother.” (Mark Link, S.J.)
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Direction : O Lord, sanctify our souls, minds, and bodies and touch our apprehensions. Search out our consciences and cast out of us every evil thought and base desire, all envy, pride, and hypocrisy, all falsehood and deceit, all worldly anxiety, all covetousness, vainglory, and sloth, all malice, all wrath and anger, all remembrance of injuries, all blasphemy, and every movement of flesh and spirit that is contrary to your holy will. O Lord, lover of all people, enable us to turn to you, our holy God and Father who are in heaven, and to call upon you boldly, with freedom and without condemnation, with a pure heart and a contrite soul, without confusion of face, and with sanctified lips. (Prayer to Be Delivered from All Evil from Liturgy of St. James)