Catechism Links[1]
CCC 162-165: perseverance in
faith; faith as the beginning of eternal life
CCC 675-677: the final trial of
the Church
CCC 307, 531, 2427-2429: human labor as
redemptive
CCC 673, 1001, 2730: the last day
 |
| “The Destruction of the Temple at Jerusalem” by Micolas Poussin, 1637 |
Reading 1:
Malachi 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.
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Commentary on
Mal 3:19-20a
Malachi, who writes his prophecy
in post-exile Israel before the reforms of Nehemiah and Ezra, is sending a
warning to those who have returned from exile. This pair of verses is
responding to a statement posed by the Hebrews in verses 14-15: "It
is vain to serve God, and what do we profit by keeping his command, and going
about in penitential dress in awe of the LORD of hosts? Rather must we call the
proud blessed; for indeed evildoers prosper, and even tempt God with impunity."
The prophet begins by saying that the punishment of the proud is inevitable. He
tells those who complain that (if they do not reform their lives) the day is
coming when they will be held accountable. This short passage appears to point
at the Messiah (the “sun of justice”) as the one who can forgive them.
CCC: Mal 3:19 678
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Responsorial Psalm:
Psalm 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.
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Commentary on
Ps 98:5-6, 7-8, 9
Psalm 98 is a song of praise. The Psalmist sees God’s presence in
the law and word of God as he rules with justice. We see in this selection how
God is praised for the strength he lends his people, and the salvation he
brings to those who are faithful.
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Reading II:
2 Thessalonians 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.
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Commentary on
2 Thes 3:7-12
St. Paul addresses a problem with
some of the individuals in the church in Thessalonica, possibly because of St.
Paul’s own teaching on the imminent second coming of Christ (the Parousia) (1 Thessalonians 2:16; 3:3-4; 5:4-5), but
more likely because of a forged letter claiming to be from him (2 Thessalonians 2:2). Some
members of the community had stopped working for a living, waiting for the end
to come. St Paul urges them to stop this behavior (and to stop involving
themselves in other people’s business, a side effect of the life style which
left them with too much time on their hands), and get back to working for a
living.
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Gospel:
Luke 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."
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Commentary on
Lk 21:5-19
St. Luke’s
Gospel, unlike St. Mark’s account of this eschatological discourse, does not
place the end times as being “at hand.” Rather, he focuses on the Christian
community living the faith from day to day. He tells the disciples of the
coming persecutions, and bids them to trust in the Holy Spirit, who will keep
their souls safe from harm.
“Jesus’ Olivet [eschatological] Discourse foretells the coming
devastation of Jerusalem Temple
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Reflection:
If
we take all of the passages from Holy Scripture we are presented with today and
find a common thread running through them it can be summarized: “The end is
coming, and it will be very difficult for the faithful to endure, but in the
end God will save those who trust in him."
We
get this feeling from the very beginning in the reading from the book of the
Prophet Malachi. He is speaking to the
Jews who have returned from the exile. Listening to the prophet criticizing
them earlier in his book, we understand that they were not accepting God’s Law. He warns them that God would call them to
account for their actions and that justice would be served upon them. The final strophe of Psalm 98 enhances this
feeling (“He will rule the world with
justice and the peoples with equity.”).
When
we get to St. Paul’s Second Letter to the Thessalonians, we hear him speaking
to that Church about people who have anticipated the end times and have stopped
working. He tells them that the time has
not come, and they need to continue to work.
Ironically, it is probably from a forged letter, claiming to be from St.
Paul, that they got this idea.
In
St. Luke’s Gospel, the Lord warns about just
that sort of thing. He tells the
disciples: “See that you are not
deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,’ and 'The time has
come.’
Do not follow them!” The Lord tells us that, as we wait for our
own time to come, we must expect that there will be difficult times. We will be persecuted for our belief in
Christ, and we will be put to the test.
That feeling of the end times leads us to the point where we might
become worried if it were not for the very last parts of the Gospel
passage. The calming voice of the Lord
tells us that we do not need to worry about these times. All we need to do is trust in the Holy Spirit
and the right words will be given to us.
All we need to do is have faith and God will see that no harm will come
to us.
The
practical lesson for us today must be that we must remain steadfast in our
faith. The time when all must face
justice will come. We do not know when
or where, but God has given us the great comfort of His Son who gave us words
of peace and left us the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, to guide us, to strengthen
us, and to lead us safely to God’s loving arms.
Pax
In
other Years: Memorial of St. Frances
Xavier Cabrini
(In the United States) Biographical Information
about St. Frances Xavier Cabrini
[1]
Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic
Directory, Published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the
Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014
[2]
The picture used today is “The Destruction of the Temple at Jerusalem” by
Micolas Poussin, 1637
[4]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the
Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This
re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[5]
Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, © 2010, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA. pp.
147
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