33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, B November 14, 2021
Fr. Albert St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette
The end of the world. In one sense, we should fear it. In another, we should look forward to it. Fear it because it means destruction and suffering and death. Jesus himself calls it “tribulation” and Daniel the prophet is told “it shall be a time unsurpassed in distress.” Yet, we should look forward to it because it also means the end to our long battle… final victory. The angels will gather God’s “elect” and the “wise shall shine brightly.” That’s us… if we’re faithful.
And that’s the heart of it all. If we are faithful, then we don’t need to be afraid at all. If we are faithful, it makes no real difference to us whether the end is tomorrow or 10,000 years from now. Either way, our response is the same: keep fighting until the end.
Naturally, we still want to know: When? “Of that day or hour, no one knows.” Yet, Jesus also tells us “this generation will not pass away until these things have taken place.” This generation? It’s been 2000 years. Have we been fooled by the greatest hoax of history? No.
As with all prophecy, there are layers to what is being said. When we teach, we use words to convey ideas. God, however, uses not only words but actual events. He uses history itself as a sign, a foreshadowing of the future. He uses real earthly things to give us an analogy for even more real heavenly things. Jesus is doing the same thing. We don’t see it here, but immediately before this passage, it is clear that Jesus is talking about a particular historical event as well as the end of the world.
Jesus is prophesying the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. Scripture makes it clear that the Jerusalem Temple is a sign, an image of the whole universe. Lots of the symbols used in its design reflect the earth, seas, sky, and everything in them. So, when Jesus says “the temple will be destroyed” it is also a historical foreshadowing of the end of the world. He’s talking about both at the same time.
“This generation,” meaning the people listening to Jesus in person, “will not pass away” before the Temple is destroyed. That part comes true as the Temple is destroyed in 70 AD, before most of the people listening would have died. The second part – the destruction of the world – is the more mysterious part that “no one knows” when it will happen. Not even the Son, apparently.
How can that be? Is Jesus really saying even He doesn’t know when the world ends? Sort of. We have to remember, Jesus is God and Man. That means he has both Divine Knowledge and human knowledge. When He was a child, the Gospel tells us that he “grew” in wisdom. Yet, God cannot “grow.” He is already perfect. But Jesus isn’t just God. He has a human nature. His human mind – like his human body – grew and changed. So, when he says the Son does not know, he is pointing us to this mysterious interplay between his divine and human natures.
Regardless, the end will come and we don’t know when. So, here’s three things to do to prepare for it. Trust the Lord. Stay close to the sacraments. Fight like you mean it.
Trust the Lord. This means taking the word of God seriously. We are told that everyone will rise from the dead. We are also told that some people will be “an everlasting horror and disgrace.” Not everyone goes to heaven, no matter how many New Age gurus, popular priests, or optimistic bishops say so. God’s word is clear. If we trust the word of God to save us, then we also need to trust it when it warns us about the possibility of not being saved.
Still, the greatest trust in God’s word is not fear, but a profound hope. God doesn’t want anyone to suffer forever. He wants us to rejoice forever and there’s only one way to make that happen: Jesus Christ. And not through just a casual acquaintance. Believing Jesus is real isn’t enough. Our psalm expresses what we need. “You are my inheritance, O Lord!” Not money, property, or businesses. The Lord. “You will not abandon my soul to the netherworld.” Why? Because you “will not suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.” What makes someone faithful? “I set the Lord ever before me.”
This is the difference between presumption and confident hope. Presumption is assuming God will save me even if I don’t try. Confident hope comes from having such a real and authentic relationship with Christ that I trust him. Notice how the psalm is speaking to God as someone real and close and personal. Notice that it isn’t demanding things from God. It is repeatedly expressing trust, hope, and affection for God. Are you affectionate to God? Is he real to you? Or just an idea, a kind of spiritual insurance policy? Make him real, the center of your life.
How though? Besides prayer and service, the Sacraments. Baptism has made you His son or daughter – that was a real moment in time that you should recognize and celebrate. Confirmation has made you a warrior and a witness. It wasn’t graduation, but the start of your mission. The letter to the Hebrews tells us that Jesus, “by one offering… has made perfect forever those who are being consecrated.” Note those words “being consecrated.” It’s ongoing. Confirmation gives you the Holy Spirit so you can have a real relationship with God, so you have a guide to grow holier day by day until you die. The Eucharist and Confession help you do that, but if you are not even trying to live out the mission, the vocation of your Confirmation, then your trust isn’t deep enough. Fixing that takes work.
Hence the last point, fight like you mean it. We are the Church Militant. We are meant to conquer the world. Not with swords or guns, but with sacrament, service, and sacrifice. Using these, don’t give up fighting your bad habits and sins. Even if you fight them until the day you die, if you haven’t given in, you will win on that day. Don’t give up on converting family, friends, acquaintances. Not with pushy rhetoric or being nitpicky. It takes time, patience, and gentleness to build an authentic relationship where you can introduce them to Christ little-by-little, but it also takes the courage to actually speak of Him. Fight the tendency to keep your religion private. Sure, we mustn’t be overbearing or manipulative, but the very definition of Catholic is “universal.” The Church exists to evangelize the world. A Catholic who keeps it to himself is a contradiction in terms.
Trust in God. Trust what he says and make that trust real by having a real relationship with him. Never stop relying on the Sacraments to help make that relationship tangible. Fight like you mean it. The end is coming. Jesus has won and will win. The only thing we can change is which side we’re standing on when the smoke clears.