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(17th November 2024) Homily for the Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

 READ: (Dan 12: 1-3; Heb 10: 11-14, 18; Mk 13: 24-32)

 REFLECT: Encounter the face of God joyfully on the last days of Judgement...

My dear friends, we are in the Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. The liturgy of the word focuses on last days and its consequences. What does it remind of us about last days? I feel the following could be the last day of different stages of life that we pass on or move on; Last days for a child is the moment that they are away from parents; For a school going kid or college going adults is farewell and last days of preparation of exam and away from their batchmates or friends; For a couple the last days is separation from each other; For the aged and elderly people, last days must be preparing to face death courageously; But for all of us common, last days of the world is the end of the world and is the time of meeting God face to face. Therefore, last days of life reminds of us the last moment in the world, the last breath of life on earth, but for all of us last days are alarming, frightening and worrisome.

Yes! Indication of the last days of trouble, mourning, sorrow are sure but that's only for those who are wayward and those who are not in touch with God or in line with the will and principle of God. There is a joy involved for all those who are good, do good and please God in every way, that is, meeting and encountering the Lord face to face on the day of Judgement. So what are we to do and how we need to prepare to face God on the last days is what we shall reflect. Therefore, based on the liturgy of the word, I would like to share with you three points of reflection;

 1. Be righteous:

We all know what it means to be righteous. Righteous means that one acts morally just and riight. It means even in the midst of any challenges and adversities, one choose to be righteous and takes side of justice and right. Perhaps, if we could find an answer to righteouness in a spiritual religious context, it would refer to living in closeness with God's commandments and principles ir being attuned and aligned to the divine or moral laws. However, being righteous costs lot. It is not they are not recognized but they are recognized lately. But let’s remember, righteousness, justice and uprightness takes a slower stride in the world but be for sure it will have a sure stride rate and the best stride finally. We know mostly the righteous people are most who suffer, pulled in and out, pushed aside and not treated properly. But in the Gospel of Mathew, Jesus says, “blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness and they shall be satisfied"(Matt 5:6).

What is this satisfaction? It is the eternal reward that awaits us on the last days to come or on the day of judgement. That’s what we see in the first reading from Prophet Daniel. Some to everlasting life and some to everlasting contempt, those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the firmament and those who turn many to righteousness will shine like the stars for ever and ever. Yes, it is not only that we obtain eternal reward by being righteous but rather even by making others righteous and taking them to the path of righteousness or making oneself would obtain reward. It is not that we make a general or categorical statement that all are not righteous. But many those who are righteous suffer a lot; some give up and some others persist and continue to be righteous till the end, because they know that God would reward them.

Today, each and everyone is given an opportunity to be righteous and remain in righteousness. But we all choose it according to our conveniences or situation we live by. what we need to do is to remain righteous and practice righteoulsness till the end. Such an act not only reward us rather would save us on the final judgement day of the Lord. If all of us thing that we are eagerly waiting to see the face of God or feel that we would meet face to face God, we would automatically be and practice righteousness. We most of us are not so eager or particular about the last days to come. We take it lightly without any interest and seriousness. Such a life-styly questions our practice of righteouness. Today, let us not consider that being or practising righteousess is an option rather consider it as an opportunity that God gives us to enter the door of eternity, that's in store for us.

Very beautifully Pope Francis says, "Righteousness is snot just about personal morality  but about living ethically in community. He stresses the imporatnce of fairness in everyday actions, such as paying workers justlu, avoiding deceit, and respecting the rights of others. This virtue promotes peace and harmony in society, contrasting with selfishness or corruption." Yes, righteousness or fairness in everything will not only reward us but even save us.  So let us pray and make every effort that we become righteous and make others as well righteous to meet the Lord joyfully. Let us realize that righteousness means standing only for what is right and true. God loves the righteous as well, because he himself is righteous.

 2. Offer forgiveness:

Offering forgiveness is a powerful and healing act. It is for both, the one who offers forgivness and the one who recieves forgiveness. Forgiveness is not a easy step but once we forgive, we obtain a tremendous power of courage and strenght to withstand all odds and chaos in life. Forgiveness is not everyones's cup of tea, but the one who has the heart to forgive the wrongs of others have obtained for himself or herself a great healing remedy. For anything to achieve in life and be successful, we need to prepare well. similarly if we want to face the last phase of  life happily, then we need to prepare ourselves. What sort of preparation does it require? It is a preparation with faith and hope, preparing for our encounter with good words and works. Above all, forgiving others and forgetting others sins to live in peace and harmony.

That's what we hear from the second reading in the letter to the Hebrews. The reading clearly differentiates the offering of every high priest in the Old Testament which does not take away sins but the single offering or sacrifice of Jesus has brought us eternal life  and it is a perfect offering or sacrifice that anyone could make in life. So what we need to do is to prepare ourselves and be watchful every time to face the unknown, the unexpected with hope and faith but joyfully and courageously. That’s what Jesus did preparing himself to offer as a sacrifice and surrendered his entire plan to God. No sacrifice would ever match up to the sacrificial offering of Jesus, because it is a sacrifice made once for all, a perfect sacrifice, a sacrifice that reconciled the lost relationship and united us with God.

Today, Jesus stands as a priest, who offered sacrifice once and for all, inviting us to realise the body he bruised for us, blood that was shed for us and  the life that he gave for us to restore us back to God himself. The self-offering of Jesus is the ultimate act of love manifested on the cross for us; the self-offering of Jesus was an obedient act to God the Father; the self-offering of Jesus was an atonement and redemption of humankind; the self-offering of Jesus is what we witness everyday in the Eucharist; the self-offering of Jesus is a challenge for all of us to follow and live by it. That's why Pope Francis very often reflects on Jesus' self-offering as an expression of divine mercy, encouraging christians to emulate his humility and love in ther own lives. It is both a gift to receive and a mission to live out in service to others. So whenever we offer forgiveness to other at the heart, we bring healing and redeem them from every block that hinders them to come closer to God. Let us offer ourselves to God in humility and kindness, that he may make use of us as an  instrument to offer our lives as a healing remedy for others.

 3. Believe in God’s word:

The power of God’s word we see or hear in the book of Genesis. God at the time of creation, whatever he said, everything sprang into being or existence. We all know that Jesus is the power of God’s word, the incarnate word, the word made flesh among us. Jesus in his minitsty was able to cast out demons, heal the infirmities of people, live a life of holiness, because he belived in God's word and lived God's word in life. Believiing in GOd's word would mean that we live by the  word of GOd, which is an eternal truth and which shall become the only means of Salvation through Christ Jesus. Believing in God's word would mean that choose to live by God's word. The believer of GOd's word would consider that the word of God is normative for life, guides life and offers hope and transformation.

That's what we see or hear in the Gospel reading of the day. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus very clealy points out, "Heaven and earth will pass away but my words will never pass away."It is a sure indication that the word of God never returns back without affecting or having an effect in the lives of the people. Jesus is not only a mere spoken word or a pronounced name rather it has become a healing itself. The word of God has power, Just as Jesus the eternal incarnate word has power over everything.

Today we have only one option before us to face the last days happily, that is to belive in God’s word in the bible, to belive in Jesus the eternal word and incarnate word made flesh for life etenal. If we look at our lives closely we would understand that today we believe in various things, places, people and time but not in God and his word fully. We don't realize taht belief in the material world is temporary but belief  in God and his word will save us and grant us the courage to face the last days happily.

Pope Francis says very aptly, "Jesus speaks to us, asking us to allow him to enter our lives. The word of God is a love letter that Jesus has written to each ofus to help us understand He is at our side. His word consoles and encourages us. At the same time it challenges us, frees us from teh bondage of our selfishness and summons us to conversion. Because, his word has the power to change our lives and to lead us out of darkness into light." Yes, such is the power of God. It enters deeply into our hearts and takes complete possession of our lives, brings us good change that changes the self and others.

As in the Gospel of Matthew we hear "Man does not live on bread alone but every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matt 4:4). So let us believe in God’s word, the words of bible and the eternal word Jesus himself rather than the material and worldly benefits. The last days to be everlasting and never lasting, it depends on the we present ourselves to God. If our ways are crooked, false, perverse, not pleasing God or not in accord with God’s commands and principles, then our lives will never last but if we do what pleases God, following his commands, obeying his words, understanding his plans, believing his promises, then our last days will continue to last forever. So let us believe in God’s word, words of the bible and the word Incarnate Jesus Himself and face God happily in the last days of our life.

RESPOND:

Do we remain righteous and practice righteousness in life to understant the saving act of God for us?

Do we offer forgiveness to others by way of our self-offering like Jesus, who forgave and opened the ways to eternal life?

Do we believe in GOd's word that it has the power to challenge and change us and prepare us for the last days to come?

Let us practice righteousness all times, offer forgiveness like Jesus by self offering, live by the word of God and encounter God face to face joyfully. Amen .