Today’s Gospel passage begins with Jesus saying to his disciples, “In those days after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.” When I read those words, I asked, “Those days? Which days is Jesus talking about? After that tribulation? Which tribulation is Jesus talking about?
The Gospel passage for today is from Mark 13:24-32. How did we get here? Since we began the reading from verse 24, I went to the beginning of the chapter, and there, Jesus was just coming out of the Temple in Jerusalem when one of his disciples commented, “Teacher, look! What wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” Jesus said to the disciples, “Do you see these great buildings? A time will come when not even one stone will be left on another.” In other words, “Even though this building looks so beautiful now, it will not be like this forever; a time will come when it will be pulled down.” What Jesus said sounded like a downer; it sounded depressing. His apostles kept thinking about it, wondering: “Is he serious? Will he later say, ‘Just kidding’? How can this magnificent building not last forever?” So, as soon as they got the opportunity, Peter, James, John, and Andrew said to him, “Master, now that we are by ourselves, please tell us more about those strange things you were saying. Did you mean them? When will those things happen? What signs will tell us that they are about to happen?”
Jesus knew how some human beings take advantage of people’s fears, anxieties, curiosities, and worries to manipulate them. So, he warned his disciples, “Be careful, so no one leads you astray. Some people will come in the future and pretend to be me. Bad things like war, terrible hunger, earthquakes, fights among family members, and persecution of Christians will happen. Ensure those things do not scare you for they will certainly happen before the end.” It was after the description of the tribulation that Jesus began today’s passage by saying the happenings in the sky (darkening of the sun and moon and falling of the stars) would usher in the final coming of the Son of Man in power and glory, to reward the elect and to punish the wicked.
It seems that so far, Jesus has left one question unanswered. His apostles had asked when it would happen. Jesus finally answered it at the end of today’s passage: “But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Since Jesus has settled the question of when the end will be by telling us that no one knows, what should be our response? We must take every day as the day. That is the only way to avoid being caught by surprise. We must not delay any good we need to do, and we must not remain in any evil. No matter how secure we think we are, no matter how connected we think we are, no matter how much we believe we have saved for ourselves, nothing lasts forever. All we need to do is look back at people who called the shots a short while ago and see what has become of them.
Some time ago, I visited a patient in the hospital. She was terminally ill. I saw the picture of a pretty lady on a table by her bed. I could hardly take my eyes off the picture. It seemed the lady in the picture was the patient’s granddaughter. To satisfy my curiosity and help me focus on the patient, I asked her, “Is that your daughter in the picture?” With her little energy left, she smiled, shook her head and said, “No, that’s me.” I wondered how many years ago she took the picture. It seemed she read my mind. She added, “I took the picture three months ago on my birthday.” I could not believe it. It was difficult to reconcile the beauty queen in the picture with what was left of the patient I was visiting. At that point, I took a deep breath, and the passing nature and the vanity of this world became very real to me. It does not matter how pretty, how handsome, how rich you are today; nothing lasts forever.
When I meet people who habitually say to others, “Do you know who I am?” I feel like saying to them, “Do you know who you are? If you do, then just be who you are and allow the rest of us to live our lives.” Even if I do not know who you are, one thing I know is that you will not be here forever. If things are so bad for you now, I have news: It will not last forever. If things are so good for you now, I have news: it will not last forever. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” Let us pray that the word of God may be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path until we come to our heavenly inheritance through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Homily for 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B 2024
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