33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time B – Nov. 17, 2024
Daniel
12:1-3; Hebrews. 10:11-14, 18; Mark 13:24-32
Theme:
Stay Vigilant at all Times
I
was a Bible teacher at Mount Saint Mary Academy (Little Rock, Arkansas: 2019-2023)
and Saint Augustine Catholic High School (New Orleans, Louisiana: 2023-2024.) Whenever
I gave homework to my tenth-grade students, I always included a deadline to
turn them in. Nothing can focus our mind like a deadline. However, today’s scripture
readings talk about future events, such as the end time and the end of
suffering, but with no deadline. In the first reading, Daniel comforts his
fellow suffering Jews and promises them a good time to come soon, if not in
this life, then in the hereafter. In the Gospel, Mark consoles his fellow
persecuted early Christians with a message of hope, telling them that they will
see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory, and then he
will send out the angels and gather his elect of every place and time. In the
second reading, the author of Hebrews reassures his readers that Jesus took his
seat forever at the right hand of God and now waits until his enemies are made
his footstool. None of these readings specifies the hour or day when all these events
will happen. How can we stay focused if we do not know when our sufferings will
end or when Jesus will return so that we share God’s glory in his kingdom? As
we approach the end of this Liturgical Year B and prepare ourselves to begin
the Advent Season, today’s liturgy exhorts us to meditate on our future events,
God’s promise to end our earthly sufferings, and the return of his Son at the
end of time. It exhorts us to stay vigilant and pray since we do not know the
hour and day these events will occur.
Today’s Gospel text is found in chapter
thirteen of Mark’s Gospel. Understanding the context of this entire chapter is
necessary to comprehend our text better. The evangelist opens this chapter by indicating
that Jesus left the temple area where, according to him, spent two days (the
first day, he drove out those who were selling and buying in the temple area [11:15-19].
The second day, he preached [11:27 – 12:44.]) On their way out of the temple,
Jesus foretold them the destruction of the temple (vv. 1-2). Four of his
disciples (Peter, James, John, and Andrew) asked him privately to tell them when
the temple would be destroyed and what signs would precede that tragedy so that
they would avoid being caught up in this horror (vv. 3-4). In his discourse,
Jesus covers much more than what these four disciples expected to hear. (1) He goes
beyond the destruction of Jerusalem and talks about the mysterious period that
will follow this destruction, which seems to herald the end of the universe. (2)
His concern is that his followers may lose faith in him during this challenging
period. That is why he calls them to be alert against anyone who may come in
his name to deceive them and draw them away from discipleship. (3) The
disciples should not be alarmed when they hear of wars, reports of wars, earthquakes,
and famines because these things must happen as they are the beginnings of the
labor pains but not yet the end (vv. 5-8). (4) Then, Jesus outlines some tribulations
and sufferings they may have to endure and exhorts them to persevere until the
end to be saved. He reassures them of two things: The Gospel must first be
preached to all nations, and the Holy Spirit will assist them in their trials
(vv. 9-13).
In
the text that immediately precedes our story, Jesus comes back to the
disciples’ question concerning signs that will precede the destruction of
Jerusalem. The only sign Jesus gives here is when they see “the desolating
abomination” standing where he should not. Many Bible scholars, such as John J. Kilgallen, say that by the abomination of
desolation, Jesus seems to point to the appearance of the Romain armies in
places they should not be because where they will be, however, will be places
of desolation and sacrilege. So, when the Roman armies start approaching, this
is the time people need to flee to the mountains outside Jerusalem for refuge.[1]
After
describing the sign that will precede Jerusalem’s destruction (abomination of
desolation), Jesus then talks about the days after that tribulation, which will
be marked by his second coming with great power and glory to gather the elect (those
who will not let themselves deceived by the false messiahs but persevere amid
all the trials). This is our text for this Sunday (vv. 24-32). It is followed
by the last part of the chapter in which Jesus calls his disciples to be alert
and watchful because nobody knows the day or hour (vv. 33-37).
Our
Gospel passage is an apocalyptic narrative with imagery. It can be structured
in two parts. In the first part, Jesus describes his second coming (vv. 24-27).
In the second part, he uses a parable to explain the signs that will precede
his second return and affirms that nobody, including himself, knows the day or
hour of the end of time except God the Father only (vv. 28-32).
The
first part of our Gospel text (vv. 24-27) begins with Jesus announcing the cosmic
disturbances on the days that will follow the destruction of Jerusalem. “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.” (vv. 24-25).
Amid these cosmic disturbances, people will see Jesus coming in the clouds with
great power and glory. The clouds indicate God’s presence. His coming aims to
gather his elect from the four corners of the universe (vv. 26-27). These “elect”
are those who will not let themselves be deceived by the false messiahs but
persevere until the end during the trial times that will precede the
destruction of Jerusalem, which presumably points to the end of time that Jesus
foretold in length in the passage that immediately precedes our text (see Mk
13:14-23).
In
the second part of our Gospel pericope (vv. 28-32), Jesus uses the imagery of the
fig tree to discuss the signs preceding his second coming. He calls his
disciples to learn from the fig tree. They recognize that summer is near when
they see the fig tree’s branch become tender and sprout leaves. In the same
way, cosmic disturbances will alert them of the nearness of his return. Then
Jesus tells them that some people of his generation will witness his return. However,
when it comes to knowing the day and hour, he clarifies that nobody except God
the Father knows, not even himself.
The
setting of our Gospel passage is the oppression of the early Church during
Mark’s time (before AD. 70). Because of the persecutions they went through, the
early Christians were expecting Christ’s second coming in their own lifetime. That
can justify Jesus’ words that Mark added in vv. 30-31: “Amen, I say to you, this
generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven
and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” What does “all
these things” refer to? It could refer not necessarily to the end of time as
the audience of Mark thought but to Jesus’ coming passion, death, and
resurrection. So, amid all the suffering the early Christians were going
through, Mark here consoles them with a message of hope, telling them that they
will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory, and
then he will send out the angels and gather his elect of every place and time.
This
message of hope in our Gospel echoes Daniel’s prophetic oracle, which we heard
in our first reading. The context of this passage is that the Israelites were
occupied by the Syrians, who imposed Greek language, culture, and religion on
them. Many of the faithful Jews resisted. They preferred to die rather than
worship the pagan gods or violate the laws of Moses. Then, amid this great
persecution, the author of the Book of Daniel uses a mythological language of
speech with double and veiled meanings to transmit a message of hope to the persecuted
Jewish community. He tells them that God will help them, if not in this life
(for those who chose death), then in the hereafter. Referring to the last
judgment, Daniel foretells, on the one hand, everlasting life in heaven for some
whose names are “written in the book,” meaning the “elect,” and, on the other
hand, everlasting punishment, “disgrace,” in hell for the wicked, their
persecutors eventually.
What
about us today? We are not an occupied country and are not under persecution
like the Jews at the time of Daniel in the first reading. There is no Church
persecution in our cities as it was in Mark’s time in the Gospel (however, many
of our fellow Christians are still being persecuted in some countries where
Christianity is not accepted; we pray for them in this Mass), neither do we
expect Christ to return during our own lifetime. Then, what does our Holy
Mother Church try to teach us today through these Bible readings? Indeed, our
sufferings today are not to be compared to those of the time of Daniel and Mark.
However, many of us are going through a
lot, such as illnesses, lack of jobs, injustices, and many other trials. Amid all
our sufferings, today’s Scripture readings bring us a message of consolation
and hope. God will save us, if not in this life, then in the hereafter, where
we will be like the stars forever in heaven, shining brightly like the splendor
of the firmament. At the same time, the wicked will experience everlasting
punishment, “disgrace,” in hell, as Daniel describes in our first reading.
This
Sunday’s liturgy also wants to remind us about Christ’s second coming at the
end of time. In our second reading, the author of Hebrews confirms this end
when he says that Jesus, the high priest, “took his seat forever at the right
hand of God; now he waits until his enemies are made his footstool.” (Vv.
12-13). The Church proclaims Jesus’s death and professes his resurrection until
he comes again, as we say at the Memorial Acclamation and the Creed.
The
deadline helps people stay focused, but the Scriptures did not give us a
deadline for the end of our trials, Jesus’ return, or the last judgment at the
end of time. We are only invited to keep our faith in God, stay vigilant at all
times, and pray that we have the strength to stand before the Son of Man
(Alleluia Acclamation). Amen.
Rev. Leon Ngandu, SVD
SVD USS Biblical Apostolate Coordinator
[1] John
J. Kilgallen, A Brief Commentary on the Gospel of Mark, (New York,
Mahwah: Paulist Press, 1989), 248.