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13th November 2022

Homily for 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

READ: (Mal 4: 1-2; 2 Thes 3: 7-12; Lk 21: 5-19)

REFLECT: Prepare well to meet the Lord

Dear friends, We all of us  prepare amply well to meet our family members, friends, well-wishers, beloved ones etc. we prepare in such a way that the one who comes to visit or meet us finds home with us and are comfortable. Something similar happens to when we go to visit or meet our loved ones. There is a delight, joy and a feel inexplicable or unimaginable. But do we have the same feel to meet God at the end of our living? I think the response would be of course happy and joyful, because we are going to meet the Lord who created us and protected us through and through. However it may be we have some different feelings at the moral conscience level that are we worthy to be part of the  kingdom of God or will there be an opportunity to meet the Lord face o face, because of our sinfulness, weaknesses and  limitations as human persons. 

We all of us have questions, suspicions and confusions about the future. When it is? How it would be? What would be signs of the last days? Is it going to be a happy one or unhappy one? Sometimes we are worried and confused because of the uncertainty of the future. The readings of the day give us a glimpse of how we need to be and prepare ourselves to meet the Lord face to face. So based on the readings I would like to share with you three points of reflection, as how we can prepare ourselves to be ready for the last days to come.

1. Have fear of God:

We have often times heard that “fear of God is the beginning of wisdom,” (Prov 9:10). When we say that we need to have fear of God, it does not mean a fear based on dominance or arrogance but a holy reverential fear that arises as a result of God’s holiness and authority as a creator of us all. Therefore we worship, show reverence and pay homage to God the creator of us all;  there is a moral fear that God is the judge of us all, He judges justly and rightly based on the precepts and  command he has given us.

The fear of God should not be considered in terms of human fears because we have fear for and fear of many things; we fear about things of the past, present and the future; fear in terms of money, relationships, man-made things with technological advancements, fear of life, fear of death and sometimes fear of even another.  But compared to all the fears that  can come from human side, if we have the fear of God, that fear can save us and protect us from every harm, because he loves us as we are and created us as he loved and had a special plan for each one of us.

That’s precisely the first reading from Malachi speaks about the last days to come and how we need to be prepared to meet the Lord face to face. Mal 3:19-21 in Septuagint i.e., the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible is 4:1-3 in the LXX, Latin Vulgate and in English. The three verses of (Mal 4:1–3) are about the coming day, when the wicked and evildoers will be burned like stubble and left in ashes without root or branch. But the ones who fear Yahweh’s name will be warmed and healed by the sun of righteousness. Yes, the sun of righteousness or ray of righteousness is the grace and power of God, who is a righteous God and the God of righteousness, will give us healing, consolation and comfort on the last day based on our right standard of living, righteousness of life that we have lived. So we need to have that holy reverential fear of God and be righteous to see the Lord face to face on the last days, because God’s judgment over us would be in terms of our righteous and rightful ways of living.

Today lots of duplicity and pretence have ruined the life of many and have hindered them to grow genuinely and spiritually. It is because we have forgotten that God exists. Even if he exists, it does not seem to be a serious concern for us, because we are not so serious about the life we are gifted with by God. Just as we keep alarm to get up the next day, we need to keep alarm of reminder to awaken ourselves from pretence, coldness and lack of focus. That’s what Pope Francis very strikingly would say that we need to remind ourselves that fear of the Lord is an alarm that awakens us to the presence of  sin in our lives and makes us realize that one day we will be held accountable to the just judge. So let us awaken ourselves by giving up life situations that can make us weak and sinful and thus try to live righteous lives on earth.

2. Work and do not remain idle:

In the book of Genesis we read that God worked by way of creating heaven and earth (Gen 1:1) and his work gets completed with the words “let there be light.” It sets us on the right mode, because God himself worked and has given a value and dignity to the manual labor and executive function of the same. We too as created persons by God are called to resemble him in working and finding joy and satisfaction in what we work by way of execution. The spirit of work for that matter is finding meaning and purpose. Because work involves ones well-being, contribution, a sense of connection with others and much more than these, there is a deep sense of awareness created in us that we are connected to something larger than one self.

Today we work in order to be active in life; work gives us identity; work gives us  a platform to understand that we get nothing without pain; work gives us satisfaction and contentment. Whether we work for God, for others or ourselves, we need to find happiness and delight in whatever we do and find fulfillment in it. Today we all of us are busy working and going for various professions or services in our society. But are we happy and satisfied with what we are doing? Most of us are anxious and worried, lots of stress and pressure. Some of us don’t even feel like working, we just want to enjoy life remaining idle or being lazy. It is here that our sense of meaning and purpose of life is questioned.

Something similar in the line of thought we have in the second reading from St. Paul’s letter to second Thessalonians where Paul reminds the community at Thessalonica how exemplary his life was and the other apostles associated in the mission of Christ. They labored so that they would learn to imitate Christ. St. Paul discourages people who don’t work and remain idle, doing nothing. Therefore, he exhorts them all to do the work quietly and earn their own living. He even says, “if anyone is not willing to work let them not eat.” The sense of sanctity and meaning of life comes to play as well when we understand the sanctity of work that we do.

We have often times heard the proverb, “work is worship.” But today work is no more considered worship but literally a feeling of workshop and a work load, where it becomes a burden and not a delight. So today we need to value the work that we do and find satisfaction and meaning in the work that we do. The kind of work that we do will manifest who we are. So let us work for the kingdom of God and for the kingdom values within the places wherever we work.

3. Witness and endurance of life:

One of the ways that we can prepare ourselves to meet the Lord face to face is by the witnessing life that we live and endurance of life in the midst of difficulties and pains, happiness and joys. Because, the life that we live would manifest who we are and what we are, what rewards would we obtain and who would obtain such blessings from God as a reward.

 The gospel reading speaks of the last days and its signs. Jesus reminds us not to be deceived by people who would say that I am he or the time is at hand. But Jesus makes it very clear that there will be wars, earthquakes, famines, pestilences, terrors, great signs from heaven. But in the midst of all the problems, persecutions, accusations and aversions, one needs to consider the painful experiences as an opportunity to bear witness to Christ.

When we live such a witnessing way of life with endurance as the power and strength, Jesus will give us the strength to bear, power to overcome, words to speak, endurance to gain life. That’s why Jesus says, “Not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives.

Today many of us lack that witnessing aspect of life or the endurance of life. Because the life we live do not correspond to what we are and what we supposed to be. The mismatch of words and deeds; duplicity and insincerity of life; attachment to the world and worldly concerns; complains after complains about life and not able to accept the reality of life that we are in; unnecessary reactions to negative sides of life and lose the peace and serenity of mind; unwilling to accept others as they are with strengths and weaknesses;

Therefore, the witness of life calls for our resemblance to Christ in our attitudes and approaches. To be an exemplary witness today is demanding and more challenging. It requires endurance to put up with things and surrender one’s life into the hands of God. That’s what Pope Francis would say, “Be a witness to Jesus Christ in the way you conduct your ordinary, everyday life and it will become masterpiece for God. We are called to bear witness to Jesus Christ where we live, in our families, at work, everywhere, even just by giving the light of a smile, a light that’s not our own – it comes from Jesus.”

Yes witness of life is important to meet the Lord face to face on the last day. Jesus gives all the strength and power to the one who believes in God, who wishes to be witnesses for God’s kingdom and for His work. As Christians we are bound to bear witness to Christ by the life that we live and lead. Let us be joyful witnesses spreading joy all over and experiencing the same form others. Let our aim be to witness Christ in our lives under any circumstances and situations. I am sure with a witnessing ways of life, there will be definitely a joyful ambience in oneself and a hopeful future for all on the last day we meet God. May God bless our endeavor.  

RESPOND:

Do we have the fear of God which arises out of our reverence for God’s holiness and as a creator God?

Do we work for the glory of God or work for one’s own glory?

Do we bear witness to Christ by enduring life in midst of ups and downs?

Let us have the reverential fear of God for healing and comfort, work for his glory fully and bear witness to Christ in ordinary events and acts of daily life. Amen.

 “Look up to heaven and do not forsake it for the earth: look down to hell and  do not caste yourself into it for the sake of fleeting moments; look upon Jesus Christ, don not d eny him fofr h sake of the world; and should the difficulties of the devout life seem hard to you, sing with St. Francis of Assisi: “I hope for good things come without measure, life’s troubles to me are but pleasure,” (St. Francis De Sales, IDL, Part V, Chapter 18, p. 327.

God bless us all…

Live Jesus