Saturday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time
Last week I administered the Sacraments for the last time to Mary Cronin. She has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. She has been given only a few more days. I gathered with the whole family - her husband, siblings, children, and grandchildren to pray. There were about 20 people in the room, including three-month-old baby Jules. Mary was very aware and responsive to the power of the sacraments. But something else drew my attention. The entire time it took to administer the Sacraments and pronounce the words of Christian farewell, baby Jules was making the cutest baby sounds. The paradox of the moment was stupendous. The cycle of birth and death being played out in the room was so apparent. We Catholics call this the Paschal Mystery.
As we enter the last two weeks of the liturgical year, the scripture readings call our attention to apocalyptic and eschatological themes – life and death, judgment and redemption, heaven and hell. As I read the scripture readings for this Sunday, the experience at the Cronin house was prominent in my mind. But if we think a little more, we realize that we encounter life and death all the time. In one sense, all year is apocalyptic and eschatological. Not only during this time, but year-round, we should have our eyes on the One who is the beginning and the end – Jesus Christ.
Apocalyptic literature is a very special kind of literature. In the Old Testament, apocalyptic literature first emerged in the book of Daniel as Israel experienced persecution from the Babylonians, and later the Greeks, and the Romans. The fate of the early Christians was no different than the Israelites. Christians faced persecution within the Roman Empire. Beginning with Emperor Caligula, then with Nero, and Titus, and ending with the Great Persecution from 303-312, Christian faced brutal persecution. No wonder then that Apocalyptic thought found its way into Christian literature as well. In fact, the gospel reading from Mark we have today is often called the “little apocalypse.”
Let me offer the three practical implications for today.
It Is About Hope
In the apocalyptic understanding, salvation comes in the darkest moment. Things get increasingly worse until a totally new and strife-free era emerges. This is precisely why I think that apocalyptic literature is a commentary on life. Strife, injustices, enmities, violence, war, sickness and death are daily experiences. Apocalyptic readings, like we have today, teach us to be hopeful even in our darkest moments.
If we reflect on the history of the church and the suffering that the church endured; and if we reflect on the faith of the martyrs, the life of the saints, and the committed life of millions of Christians throughout the centuries, we will realize that their faith and hope has not been in vain. We live upon the foundation that was laid by past generations. I think the readings are telling us that no matter what our strife is, that God is with now and that God cares for us beyond now into eternity. I think God is speaking to each one of us personally and as a community that we never lose hope.
Call to Be Wise
Along with the hope that God offers us, we are also invited in today’s reading to be wise about life and the uncertainties it offers. “Learn a lesson from the fig tree,” Jesus says. Daniel says, "But the wise shall shine brightly like the splendor of the firmament, and those who lead the many to justice shall be like the stars forever" (Dan 12:3 and ). One day our world will be no more, our nation will be no more, our bank accounts will be no more, and all the things we have collected will be no more. The only thing that is forever is God.
Who then is the wise person? The wise person is the one who understands that even the most consistent laws of nature will fail. One day the sun will not shine. Someday, the moon will fade. A wise person is the one who understands both the uncertainty of life and the hope that only God offers, and lives accordingly. A wise person lives his or her life with this perspective deeply engrained in their spiritual and temporal life.
Today is the Day
Apocalyptic literature can be pretty frightening. The book of Revelation, for example, is replete with images of beasts and dragons, wars and strife. However, the purpose of any of apocalyptic literature is not to beat people into submission but rather to encourage them to remain faithful in the midst of strife. The only people who have to be alarmed, frantic, frightful, and uncertain are the people whose lives are in disarray.
The question that we must ask our self is simply this: if our life of earth would end today, would we find ourselves ready for the next. If we find ourselves ready, then we have nothing to fear. Mary Cronin and baby Jules taught me a great lesson last week. Life and death are always at play. But to face death well, we must live well. The rest is in the hands of God.
The Eucharist is like time-capsule. On the one hand this Eucharist stands for the faith of those that have gone before us. But this Eucharist also stands for what is in store for us. Looking behind with faith and looking forward in hope, may our life be a witness to what God has done for us and what God has in store for us. Amen.
- Fr. Satish Joseph