33rd
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 13th, 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.
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