Cycle C - Year I:  

17 November 2013: 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time:   (Liturgical color: Green)

Luke 21:5-19

Getting ready!

What is happening to our world? The untold destruction of the recent typhoon Yolanda in Central Visayas; the powerful earthquake in Bohol a month earlier; massive flooding in other parts of the country; civil unrest elsewhere in our home planet. All these, are we witnessing the beginning of Apocalypse in the Holy Bible? No one really knows the answer.

It is coincidence, perhaps, that as the Church's liturgical year comes to a close, the Gospel readings speak of the end of times too, or the end of the story of our salvation.

The Gospel accounts from St. Luke in this Sunday's liturgy take a more apocalyptic tone. The narratives about the end of times --  with occurrence of natural disasters, stories of wars, insurrections, persecutions of believers, division among families, and awesome sights in the sky -- all these tell us that the end of the world will be everything but a joyful event.

And yet Christians should look forward to the end times with anticipation and joy! That sounds strange and weird, but not really. Because for us Christians the end of times will mark the fulfillment of everything that we long for: union with the Trinity and eternal glory in heaven. In other words, it is the time in history when the just will receive their rewards and the evil be be cast away and punished forever. However, Jesus also warns us that the realization of that beatific glory with God will be preceded by a period of tribulation, purification and suffering.

We note that Jesus in the Gospel speaks of the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem, which He used to warn us about the end of the present world or reality with the Lord's Second Coming.

In practical sense, let us reflect on the deeper truths that today's liturgy wants to convey as our guide in Christian living, so that when the end comes, we are ready for it. 

The first truth is that our world as we experience it is destined to end someday. Well, it's not necessarily because the world is getting sinful, but because God has a bigger and better purpose for creation. From the beginning of time God has destined us for something much better than our present world, had our first parents did not sin. That is why whatever blessings we receive in this world is just a prelude to greater blessings for us in the life to come, if we keep the faith. Thus, we look forward to the end of time as just a passage to a better reality.

The second truth: Jesus' kingdom will be brought to completion in His Second Coming. In the first time that Jesus came it was in simplicity and humility as He chose to be born in a manger. Because Jesus does not want to force his kingship upon anyone. Instead He wants that it be our personal choice to accept, or reject, Him as He comes like us in all things but sin.

(But it will be a different story in the Second Coming. At that time there won't be any doubt as to who is the King of kings and Lord of lords. In other words, no one will wonder or question about the identity of our Lord Jesus Christ.)

The third truth: Jesus will  render final judgment at the end of time. He will gather the people of every time and place for judgment day. He will call to Him those judged worthy of heaven. It will be a great and glorious day for His faithful followers. And the joy, peace and union with God will be beyond our wildest imagination. But it will be the opposite for those who refuse until the very last moment to believe in God and reject His offer of mercy, love and new life.

In sum, the apocalyptic nature of the Gospel reading presents us with the sobering fact that not only is there life beyond the present existence (that is the theme of last Sunday's liturgical readings, remember?), but that suffering is a necessary component of reaching our final destiny. Christ Himself had suffered before His glorious Resurrection.

The parting words of our Lord in today's Gospel reading are encouraging and inspiring. He assures us that in spite of sufferings and trials for His sake,  "... not a single hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will save your lives," (Lk 21:18-19).

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God!

Ad Jesum per Mariam! 

Cycle C - Year I:  

10 November 2013: 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time:

 (Liturgical color: Green)

Luke 20:27-38

The beauty of eternity!

The Christian world just celebrated two important solemnities: All Saints Day on November 1 in honor of all the saints, known and unknown; and Feast of All Souls Day on November 2 to pay respects and remember the souls of those who died ahead of us. Celebrating the feasts of the saints and departed souls is based in our belief that life on earth does not end in death but only changed.

Belief in heaven, and in the afterlife, is the message of this Sunday's liturgy. In the Gospel, Jesus offers us a vision about the beauty of eternity.

St. Luke narrates the encounter of Jesus with the Sadducees, who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead nor in afterlife. Their religion is based on an earthly image of heaven, based on their own experience of this world and what they see with their naked eyes.

The Sadducees came to Jesus with a test question on marriage in order to make the belief in the resurrection look ridiculous. They pose a hypothetical question to Jesus to trap Him: A woman who was a widow of seven brothers who died one after another but left her childless. "Now at the resurrection whose wife will that woman be?", they asked Jesus.

Incidentally, aren't we sometimes like the Sadducees? We have doubts on spiritual realities because we also try to make heaven into our earthly image.

Jesus pointed out to the Sadducees that eternity and this present life are very different. Marriage is for this earthly life and doesn't continue into the next life. In the resurrection, there is no marrying or being given in marriage, for God will be all in all.

In other words, in the next life our relationship is not with man or woman, or with each other, but only with God. Heaven is ultimately about seeing God, and we call this the beatific vision. But the beatific vision is more than simply "seeing" God. Because we posses Him and He possesses us. Thus, the beatific vision is about a complete and total union with God.

Now, that doesn't mean that we will not see each other again in heaven. We will, and in heaven we will enjoy the companionship of Mary and the saints and the angels, including our family members and friends who preceded us into that kingdom. Husbands and wives who have faithfully loved and served one another will be united with each other once again, though it will be a more perfect communion of life and love.

The ultimate proof of the resurrection is our Lord Jesus Christ and his victory over death when He rose from the tomb. So Jesus asks us today, "Do you believe in the resurrection?"

In practical life, today's liturgy invites us to reflect on death and the afterlife.

For an atheist, there is no afterlife. Death is the end of everything. Now matter how wealthy or healthy you are, how powerful, how famous, how many friends you have, when death comes, it's a disaster! Because everything is wiped away! We will fall into nothingness. So enjoy as much pleasure as you can each day, while you are still alive and kicking!

But for Christians, death is just a passage, a transition to a more perfect life, a life with God. We are destined for eternal joy in the presence of God. It has to be different to this life we now experience, and in fact so much better. It is what we are created for in the beginning of time, until Adam and Eve sinned. The Good News is that at the end of the age Jesus will redeem the whole of creation and everything will be good as it was from the beginning. But we must watch out that in our earthly journey we follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ to enter into the heavenly Kingdom of the Father, and not fall into the pit of hell.

Let me end my reflection with one of my favorite mantras in philosophy: "The unknown of the known makes me tremble. But the known of the unknown gives me hope." My theology professor puts it differently but the same message: "The not yet of the already makes me tremble. But the already of the not yet gives me hope!" Amen.

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God!

Ad Jesum per Mariam!