Homily for the Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Nov 19, 2006)
Intro: I received a letter
this week, in which the author
states: “ The prophecies of many saints and even those in the Bible
very clearly seem to be describing what is going on today before our
very eyes. Wars are escalating in the
Middle East
; world leaders are lining up to choose sides. The letter warns of a
world war, much suffering and the possible annihilation of nations.
A- It seems an echo of our
first reading from Daniel:
It shall be a time of unsurpassed distress since nations began
And Jesus’
words to his disciples
In those days, after that tribulation the sun will be darkened and
moon will not give its light.. the powers of the heavens will be shaken
B-It
is tremendously important that we get predictions of dire things to
come. The loss of life in
North Carolina
this week reminds us we need better systems for Tornado warnings.
Scientists are trying to perfect systems
to better warn people about approaching Hurricanes, Tsunami’s and
even Earth Quakes.
C-
So does the Bible provide an early warning system for the end of the
world?
* If you just studied the Bible enough could you know ahead of
time exactly when Michael and the rest of the angels will show up to
announce the Last Judgment?
* Throughout history
there have been Christians who seek to have secret knowledge—we call
them Gnostics. Some of them claim to have an inside track with regard to
exactly when Jesus will return.
* What did
Jesus say about this? In today’s Gospel to those wondering about when
the end will come, Mark gives us a direct word from Jesus:
“But as to the day or the hour,
no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor
the Son, but only the Father.”
D-So
don’t be fooled by any group or church which claims that it knows when
the end will come.
* No amount of Bible
interpretation will give you some secret key.
* There is no saint or
visionary to whom God has revealed exactly when it will happen, since
even the Son, as a human being did not know when it will come.
E-But
there are two things we do know about the end of life on this planet.
It will happen
and you better be ready.
Number One: Our earthly
existence as we know it will come to an end. You only need to read the
signs to realize that this
is not a permanent home for
the children of God. Jesus
is coming back.
Number Two: Jesus warns us that we must get ready for the end, even
though we don’t know when it will
come. If you want to go to Heaven, be prepared when the end comes; when
Jesus returns if we want to go to Heaven.
Story:
There was once a wise old piano teacher with many students over the
years. Invariably when she prepared the pupils for recitals she would
have them practice the ending over and over again. Almost all students
would eventually begin to grumble because of the constant repetition of
the last few measure of music. This wise teacher would explain to them:
You can make a mistake in the beginning or you can make a mistake in the
middle. The people will forget it if you make the ending glorious.
The
early warning in the Bible tell you that the end is coming. If you
prepare, if you are ready, when the end comes it will be a glorious
celebration with Christ.
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