A REUNION OF LOVE

33^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dn 12: 1 – 3 / Ps 16 / Heb 10: 11 – 14, 18 / Mk 13: 24 – 32

Malls are Christmas ready. Decorations have been placed. Christmas carols are heard on the airwaves. As they eagerly await for their bonuses, people are also busy planning for their parties. Everyone is excited for Christmas.

However our readings today seem to run the contrary. No one is excited in the sun becoming dark, the moon losing light, and stars falling from the sky. Nevertheless, our first and Gospel readings today are examples of apocalyptic literature. The word “apocalyptic” comes from the Greek word, “apokaluptein,” which means “to uncover, to pull back the veil.” Thus, when we read these texts, we do not stick to what is presented before us. Rather, we uncover the veil in order to find something new. Therefore, when Jesus told his disciples our Gospel reading today, he was not making them fearful and worried. Instead, he was pulling back the veil; he was uncovering to them something –  “heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” He was telling his disciples and us today that yes, there will be an end, but the end is not about darkness and dryness. It is about a reunion of love; an encounter of the wretched humanity and the gracious God. No wonder the early Christians prayed, Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!

My dear friends, this is also our challenge today. I know at the moment that we are all busy. We are all busy doing both good and bad things. And such busy lifestyle can lead us to forgetfulness. Little by little, we place a lot of veils and covers in our lives to the point of forgetting the core of our being who is God.  Thus, our Gospel today is a reminder that at the end of our lives, God will pull back the veils which we have used to cover our lives. St. John of the Cross has said, “at the end of our lives, we will be judged according to love.” And since the end of life is a reunion of love, then, God will use his love to uncover our burdened and heavily covered lives.

And so my dear friends, what therefore concerns us is the present. Since at the end of life, God will meet us again for a reunion of love, then, let us fill our present, our here and now with love! Do not procrastinate in loving. Some of us would simply say, “I forgive you but I’ll never forget what you have done.” Some of us can live even without talking to their husbands or wives. Kung Fu Panda has this to say, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift that is why it is called the present.” Starting today, let us give gifts of love by practicing generosity, mercy, kindness, and compassion. We do all these because we are all aware that at the end of the world is not destruction and darkness but a reunion of love.

Last Friday the 13^th, Paris has been attacked. Suicide bombings were heard outside the football stadium. Violence was experienced inside a Camobian restaurant. Many were killed and held hostage at a concert hall in the city. If you were there, you could probably say that it was the end of the world. But a survivor narrated that when he and others went up on the roof of the concert hall, someone opened his apartment window for them to enter and be kept safe. Amidst the darkness, God pulled the veil of violence, and allowed love to triumph. This is also our call today – never procrastinate in loving; give love without counting the cost because in the end it will all be about a reunion of love. Amen.