Deacon Tom Anthony

Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 159

Reading 1 Mal 3:19-20a

Lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven,
 when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble,
 and the day that is coming will set them on fire,
 leaving them neither root nor branch,
 says the LORD of hosts.
 But for you who fear my name, there will arise
 the sun of justice with its healing rays.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 98:5-6, 7-8, 9

R. (cf. 9)  The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.
Sing praise to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
sing joyfully before the King, the LORD.
R. The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.
Let the sea and what fills it resound,
the world and those who dwell in it;
let the rivers clap their hands,
the mountains shout with them for joy.
R. The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.
Before the LORD, for he comes,
for he comes to rule the earth,
he will rule the world with justice
and the peoples with equity.
R. The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.

Reading 2 2 Thes 3:7-12

Brothers and sisters:
You know how one must imitate us.
For we did not act in a disorderly way among you,
nor did we eat food received free from anyone.
On the contrary, in toil and drudgery, night and day
we worked, so as not to burden any of you.
Not that we do not have the right.
Rather, we wanted to present ourselves as a model for you,
so that you might imitate us.
In fact, when we were with you,
we instructed you that if anyone was unwilling to work,
neither should that one eat.
We hear that some are conducting themselves among you in a
disorderly way,
by not keeping busy but minding the business of others.
Such people we instruct and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly
and to eat their own food.

Alleluia Lk 21:28

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 21:5-19

While some people were speaking about
how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings,
Jesus said, "All that you see here--
the days will come when there will not be left
a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down."

Then they asked him,
"Teacher, when will this happen?
And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?"
He answered,
"See that you not be deceived,
for many will come in my name, saying,
'I am he,' and 'The time has come.'
Do not follow them!
When you hear of wars and insurrections,
do not be terrified; for such things must happen first,
but it will not immediately be the end."
Then he said to them,
"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues
from place to place;
and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.

"Before all this happens, however,
they will seize and persecute you,
they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons,
and they will have you led before kings and governors
because of my name.
It will lead to your giving testimony.
Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand,
for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking
that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.
You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends,
and they will put some of you to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.
By your perseverance you will secure your lives."

 MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 To fear God means to love God. This is the beginning of enlightenment and the receiving of wisdom beyond the comprehension of those who choose not to follow God. Fear of God is described as an understanding that He is the creator of all things and that we are His children. With that understanding comes a reaction to it; a knowledge that because He created us we must listen to what He has to say and follow His precepts to the best of our abilities. When we do this we are more inclined to be open to His presence and experience true joy as He intended us to do. The Scripture Reading from the Prophet Malachi gives us encouragement and consolation that we who love God and follow Him have nothing to fear from the challenges of everyday life to Final Judgment. These are things that should have no impact on our thinking or actions. Because we are followers of God and have accepted Jesus Christ as our savior we are not counted among the wicked. The wicked are those who have willfully rejected God and all that he has to offer and instead have embraced all of the temptations and allures of this physical world. They have chosen to turn their backs on God and instead have put themselves in a position of being like a god; trying to control their destiny beyond anything else. We by choosing God have the capability of being healed and loved by Him continuously.

Living a life with God puts us in the moment. It is in the moment that we can feel His presence and, because of that, the present becomes the most import time in our lives. The past is the past while the future never comes. Savoring each moment and approaching each moment as if it were our last opens us up to a new way of looking at things. All experiences can be savored and enjoyed without any anxiety or fear. There is nothing to fear because in the moment we are aware of our surroundings and obviously safe from harm because we are witnesses to what is in front of us. Being a witness to the moment means we are alive and well. If we are not then it becomes obvious that we have then crossed over into the spiritual realm and, with that, an eternity with God.

While we are here on this earth and living in the moment our conduct becomes all the more important because when we live our lives with God then His intentions of how He wanted us to live in the first place are revealed. This way is obviously better than our way because what God has to offer is infinitely better than what we can offer even to ourselves. We are not God and never will be. Realizing this reveals to us our limitations in comparison to Him. It can be comforting knowing what we cannot do and knowing what is within our grasp. This then leads to contentment and an appreciation of what we have in comparison to an unhealthy desire for that which we cannot or should not have. We are always in danger of being led astray by an alternative realty created by our imaginations that convinces us that we can only be joyful by pursuing things that we think are better than the things we currently have. We then miss each moment and the preciousness that they posses. God is with us now. We do not have to chase after Him but only have to let Him in. It is only us that prevent ourselves from entering into relationship with him.

In the Gospel Reading today Jesus predicts the destruction of the Temple and all of the calamities that were to befall the world and the faithful before the Coming of the Son of Man. He first emphasized things which would happen in the physical world that reveal its limitations and the suffering that it produces daily. He then consoles His followers but telling them not to worry about those things for they are finite while God is infinite. Those who focus on the finite will pass away into nothingness along with things of this world while those who focus on the infinite will experience the eternal which is rooted in God. Jesus Christ already conquered all those things that plaque our thoughts and bring forth fears so there is no need to even think about them while we contemplate our relationship with God. God is beyond those things. We are also beyond them when we unite ourselves with Him who created us and loves us. This is one of the many gifts He has given us. It is up to us to take it along with all the other benefits that are constantly being offered to us continuously.

Deacon Tom