XXXIII Sunday in OT:[C]:Mal 3:19-20a; IIThes3:7-12;Lk21: 5-19

XXXIII Sunday in OT:[C]:Mal 3:19-20a; IIThes3:7-12;Lk21: 5-19

Introduction:  A mother says to her ten years old son, "If you study hard all year and you get passing grades, next summer, I will buy you a new bicycle." In order words, if her son does not study hard all year and he does not get passing grades, he will not receive a new bicycle next summer.  A man goes to a store and tells the manager, "If you can get me the carpet that I want, I will buy it from you." In other words, if the store manager cannot get the carpet, the man will not buy it from him.

Have you noticed that by reversing what is being said, we often get a better understanding of what was said? For example, Jesus said, "By your endurance you will gain your souls." [Lk. 21:19] If we reverse these words, we get, "If you do not endure, you will lose your souls." Notice how reversing the sentence highlights two important things: first, the need to endure; secondly, the salvation of the soul. The first is absolutely necessary in order to obtain the second.

Why is it absolutely necessary to endure in order to be saved? Today's readings answer that question by teaching us the importance of endurance. During the First Reading, we heard of the necessity to endure in righteousness. In the Second Reading, we heard of the necessity to endure in our imitation of the saints. And in the Gospel Reading, we heard of the necessity to endure in our living faith. To summarize all of this, we must persevere in our living faith through righteousness and the imitation of the saints.

Scriptural Lessons:  Today’s Gospel passage clarifies that the date of the end of the world is uncertain.  Signs and portents will precede the end, and the Christians will be called upon to testify before kings and governors. The Good News is that those who persevere in faithfulness to the Lord will save their souls and enter God's eternal kingdom. Christ’s Second Coming is something to celebrate because he is going to present all creation to his heavenly Father. Since Luke's community had experienced much persecution, today’s Gospel gives them the message:  don't give up because God is always with us.   Jesus' promise of the protective power of a providing God was meant to encourage His disciples to persevere in Faith and its practice.  Jesus also includes the signs of the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the world, to prepare His disciples and to remind them to rely upon Him for Salvation, not their own power.

Anecdote: Josh is the resident humanist in the neighborhood. He does not go to church anymore. He goes about telling his friends that since God lives in everyone’s soul, it is not necessary for anyone to go to church to find God. His parish priest learns of this and decides to pay Josh a visit. The priest shows up in Josh’s house one cold winter evening and finds Josh warning himself by the fireside. Josh invites the priest to join him at the fireside, which he does. The priest does not talk about church attendance, although Josh suspects that is why he came. They talk about the weather. Meanwhile, the priest uses the fire-tongs to remove a burning piece of wood from the fire and places it all by itself beside the fireplace. Both men watch as the flames flicker and go out and in a short time white ash covers the once blazing piece of wood. Josh gets the message. He turns to the priest and says, “Father, I will be in church next Sunday.” Like that piece of wood we need fellowship with our brothers and sisters in the faith in order to maintain the fire of our own faith. We need the church.

Explanation:  Josh is an example of people who go to one extreme. There are people also who go the other extreme, people who see the presence of God only in churches and church services. We read about people like that in today’s gospel. We are not told exactly who they but some of them were probably disciples of Jesus. They were fascinated with the splendor of the Jerusalem Temple built by Herod the Great in over 46 years and lavishly adorned with gold and silver offerings of the people

Joke: After finishing his homily on the Judgment Day, the preacher started the prayer of mercy. "Oh Lord," he began. "One of these days we are going to wake up, and it's going to be DARK everywhere! Deliver us, O Lord." "Lord, have mercy on us!" responded the congregation. The preacher continued: "Then we are going to pick up the telephone and call Washington, and they are going to say, 'It's DARK over here too!'" "Lord, have mercy on us!" responded the congregation.” Then we’re going to pick up the phone and call London, and they are going to say, 'It's DARK over here!' "Lord, have mercy on us!" responded the congregation. “Again we're going to pick up the phone and call Moscow, and they are going to say, 'It's DARK over here too!" "Lord, have mercy on us!" responded the congregation.” "Then we're going to pick up the phone…. At this juncture, the church treasurer, who had also been caught up in the fervor of the preacher’s prayer, cried out uncontrollably: "Lord, Lord! What a PHONE BILL!"….ha..ha..ha.. (after a pause)  And people responded, “Lord, have mercy on us.”

Practical Applications: 1) We need to be prepared daily for death and judgment. The ideal way to accept Jesus’ apocalyptic message is always to be ready to face our death.  We must also take time to rest and to pray in order to keep our hearts alive to God’s presence with us and within us. 

2) We need to attain permanence in a passing world by exemplary lives. Our homes, our churches and even our own lives are temporary. All our structures are provisional. Our influence has no more claims to permanence than our buildings. Hence, our task is not to build monuments of any kind, but to be faithful to Christ. We are to persevere in our Faith, despite worldly temptations, attacks on religion and moral values by the atheistic or agnostic media, threats of social isolation, and direct or indirect persecution because of our religious beliefs. Let us conclude this Church year by praying for the grace to endure patiently any trials that are essential to our affirmation of Jesus our Savior. 

Introduction: Thirty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Message: Jesus teaches that his disciples will be persecuted as a necessary prelude to the parousia.  Through their perseverance, they will emerge victorious when the Lord comes again.  As we await the Day, let us conscientiously fulfill our Christian obligations.

Saints and Events in this Week: 21-Twenty First-Thursday-The presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary; 22-Twenty Two-Friday-Saint Cecilia, virgin, martyr; 23-Twenty third-Saturday-Saint Clement I, Pope, martyr; Saint Columban, abbot; Blessed Miguel Pro, priest, martyr(USA);