Deacon Tom Anthony

Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 158

Reading 1 Dn 12:1-3

In those days, I Daniel,
heard this word of the Lord:
"At that time there shall arise
Michael, the great prince,
guardian of your people;
it shall be a time unsurpassed in distress
since nations began until that time.
At that time your people shall escape,
everyone who is found written in the book.

"Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake;
some shall live forever,
others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace.

"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."

Responsorial Psalm Ps 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11

R. (1) You are my inheritance, O Lord!
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!
Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
my body, too, abides in confidence;
because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,
nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!

Reading 2 Heb 10:11-14, 18

Brothers and sisters:
Every priest stands daily at his ministry,
offering frequently those same sacrifices
that can never take away sins.
But this one offered one sacrifice for sins,
and took his seat forever at the right hand of God;
now he waits until his enemies are made his footstool.
For by one offering
he has made perfect forever those who are being consecrated.

Where there is forgiveness of these,
there is no longer offering for sin.

Alleluia Lk 21:36

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Be vigilant at all times
and pray that you have the strength to stand before the Son of Man.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mk 13:24-32

Jesus said 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.

"And then 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 from the four winds,
from the end of the earth to the end of the sky.

"Learn a lesson from the fig tree.
When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves,
you know that summer is near.
In the same way, when you see these things happening,
know that he is near, at the gates.
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.

"But of that day or hour, no one knows,
neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 Being diverted from what is directly in front of us and losing our focus on what is truly important in our lives presents us with a unique challenge regarding our faith. At a very early age we are taught that planning things both in the short term and the long term is a very good thing. We are told that having more of an understanding about where we are going in the future insures us a higher rate of success. Society itself is structured around this concept from finances, events, gatherings, and so much more from what we are going to eat to what we are going to wear. Being exposed to this way of looking at things naturally permeates into our faith-life. The importance of daily interactions becomes overlooked as our minds are intent on what lies ahead. This way at looking at things is not what Jesus wants for us. Instead, He wants us to experience all that we can in the moment.

Staying in the moment causes our mind to focus on what is directly in front of us. Our senses will then be concentrated on the same and our physical and mental beings will be working in unison. With that, our spirituality will follow. God will naturally be inserted into the experience because He is already an intricate part of us. Planning for the future is an exercise of our free will and our desire to control events that we will be experiencing. When our free will is exercised based on our needs and wants, our closeness to God diminishes and God will be removed from the experience. Even though there will always be a need for some level of planning we cannot forget about the present and the joys that it can bring.

In the Gospel Reading today Jesus speaks about the destruction of the Temple, the coming Tribulation, and the Coming of the Son of Man. After He described the events He then reminded His disciples that there would be false prophets, false Messiahs, and other things which would perpetuate lies. He told of things that would happen which would indicate that the time for these events were upon them but then He offered them encouragement. He told them not to worry about the times described and to have faith in God. All answers would be provided to them and their faith would save them. He told them to be watchful and vigilant but, at the same time, no one knows the day or the hour when the Son of Man would arrive. Those who would claim to know when the events are upon them and the arrival of the Son of Man is imminent are not to be believed.

If we have been instructed by Jesus Himself not to contemplate the day or the hour of His coming or to believe anyone who claims to have knowledge of such an event, then what are we to do? It is apparent that we should be always prepared in the moment for what is to come in the future without focusing on the future for no one knows when it is going to occur. Being prepared now means that we live our lives with Jesus now. We should let Him guide us in the present by welcoming Him into a relationship with us. When we do this then what we experience through a relationship with Him becomes predominant in our lives. Each second, right when it happens, becomes the most important period of time in our lives. Just being with Jesus becomes enough. Nothing more is needed. Whatever comes afterwards will come but we will still be here with our savior.

This way of thinking is not easy. It goes against what we learned since we were children. Just focusing on it will bring us to a better state of mind and will help us grow spiritually. There is no success or failure in regards to it. It is just something to be worked on. When we work on it, we will experience results immediately and we will change for the better.  Living our lives knowing that Jesus has already given himself as a sacrifice for our salvation and that He loves us with an incomparable love is the key to joy and happiness. Through this living tomorrow stays tomorrow and today is where we will always be.

Deacon Tom