14.11.2004 33rd Sunday Ordinary Season - Year C
First Reading: Malachi 3,19-20 Psalm 97
Second Reading: II Thessalonians 3,7-12 Gospel Reading: Luke 21,5-19
With the end of the liturgical year coming up, it is natural to want to meditate
on our aims in life and on what we have seen and experienced.
Jesus is given the opportunity to talk about the future from the discussions
he overhears in the Temple courts of Jerusalem. The Temple was a magnificent
work of art, a wonder for all to admire.
But as with all good and beautiful things even the Temple could become a temptation:
the temptation to glorify it and to forget to raise one's eyes to God and to
obey Him, or to be aware of His true image, that is, our fellow men, even the
poor and the suffering.
Jesus tries to help his listeners not to be seduced, tricked or confused. All
the things of this world will disappear, even the most beautiful. Everything
beautiful is of this world which is destined to end. Even the works of art of
the most famous will be destroyed either by time or by the hand of other men.
Even the buildings we offer to God are subject to this law and must not, therefore,
occupy the minds and hearts of those who want to be God's people.
Jesus continues his teaching regarding the future centuries, those in which
we ourselves are living. Despite being able to make great, beautiful and useful
works, we will experience such suffering as to put to the test our love of God.
Natural cataclysms, war between nations, hate of the name of Jesus: these realities
will be with us for as long as the world exists. And Christians are in the midst
of it all. They must be ready to face such things and hence to look upon the
beauty of the world with a certain detachment.
Jesus pauses to consider his disciple's difficulties. They will be tempted by
false messiahs, who will try to attract attention to themselves and to orient
faith to themselves instead of to God. One must be firm and well-informed not
to fall into the trap of these false Messiahs who are always finding new ways
to seduce the faithful. It is, therefore, important that our faith does not
become gullibility, and that we teach ourselves to find explanations to our
doubts and to those which arise in the new situations we find ourselves in.
It is important to know who we can turn to for clear explanations and not to
remain confused and uncertain. Jesus even said: "Many will come in my name…",
many! And they don't only come in the guise of a person knocking on our door,
but also in ways of thinking, beliefs spread during courses of gymnastics, music,
medicine etc, or by means of newspaper articles, television or sports personalities.
"Do not follow them!" Jesus is very clear. We must also have this
clarity when we are faced with wars or natural disasters: excessive discouragement,
desperation or sadness are not the reactions of those who know that the world
will come to an end and that God the Father is waiting for us all! Not even
the terrible injustice to which believers are exposed on account of their faith
and their decisions which are in contrast with those of the world, not even
these must frighten us. We must be ready to defend ourselves and not to turn
to lawyers: words stemming from our intelligence will be of no use. But Jesus
himself will be able to suggest attitudes and words that will be witness to
him! It will not be important to avoid suffering, but to continue to bear witness
to our Saviour, so that others might know him and be able to accept him in their
hearts.
St Paul adds some more advice: knowing that all is destined to end, we must
not chose total detachment from social or political involvement. Believers should
continue to collaborate with God for a better world and for peace in his everyday
work and activities. Whoever does not work is a weight for others and a bad
example for the Church.
In a world full of injustice, believers should live differently: judgement day
is also for them, says the prophet Malachi.
Although we know of the possibility of punishment, we must be careful and work
not because we are afraid, but for loves sake, for the love of our Lord Jesus
and his Church, for love of the Father who will receive us all in the end, together
with those we have helped with our example and faith.