The Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year C

Collect
Grant us, we pray, O Lord our God, the constant gladness of being devoted to you, for it is full and lasting happiness to serve with constancy the author of all that is good. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Reflection

The First Reading, and especially the Gospel, use several illustrations and metaphors characteristic of apocalyptic literature—that is, a style of writing through which God, by means of many visions, reveals the truth about Himself and about the purpose of human life. Therefore, I think we would be correct in saying that this Gospel does not speak about the end of the world, but rather about the story of humanity, and the story of Christians who, as part of this humanity, are sometimes discarded and ignored, or even face attempts to suppress or kill them.

In fact, in this discourse, Jesus reflects on the story of humanity—a story of which He became part when He took on our human nature. His perspective may seem negative, or perhaps more accurately, realistic. If you listen to the news for a few minutes, or scroll through the news feeds on Facebook, you might be forgiven for thinking that the end is truly near. But Jesus was very clear when He said: “And when you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified, for those things are bound to take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.”

In other words, if we think we are making a quick escape because the end is near, it might turn out that we still have quite a while before the end of the world. This was an important remark spoken by Jesus, especially when one considers the historical context in which it was written. Christians were expecting Jesus to return soon—so much so that many were becoming idle, as St Paul warns in the Second Letter to the Thessalonians.

So, as we come to the end of the liturgical year next Sunday, what word is Jesus speaking to us today? What warning does He desire us to heed?

Firstly, in the First Reading, we have a contrast between a furnace for evildoers and the rising of the sun of justice—meaning Christ—which will shine on all. Those whose lives were built on the straw of vanity and evil will be burned, while those who called upon God will find that their encounter with Christ will purify them, enabling them to look upon Him and rejoice. Therefore, we must make a choice: either preoccupy ourselves with the straw, or lean upon the rock, which is Christ.

In the Gospel, Jesus warns us that the Christian life is not a comfortable one but involves a constant struggle in which we may appear to be the losers, deprived even of those near and dear to us because of our choice to follow the Gospel. It is essential that our witness is one truly focused on Jesus, and not on some quasi-political agenda of the Christian life or of the Church. We are experiencing this today, as we often find ourselves without the protection of the stable truths of the faith, or feel isolated due to the lack of support given by members of the community.

In this context, it is good to keep before our eyes that the Lord has planted us in this day and age, with all that is happening, not to proclaim the end times and sow fear and despair, but because we have been placed here—with all the difficulties and opportunities of our time—to give witness to Him: a witness that enflames hearts. Even if we are seen as weak, a firm hope and a strong faith emanating from within us will also be observed. Thus, a desire may rise in the hearts of our brothers and sisters to experience this infinite love which lasts forever.

Prayer

Lord, while I am gathered with my brothers and sisters during the celebration of the Eucharist, remind me that we are truly brothers and sisters in Christ, struggling against the same storms in our diverse lives. Give me the grace to welcome the sufferings that come with doing Your will. Open my heart to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, so that it is through Him that I may bear witness. Amen.