Year B
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There is the well-known spiritual adage – “The past is in God’s mercy, the future is in God’s hands, but the present moment is ours with God’s grace. ”As the liturgical year draws to a close, our attention is on the end of times. We neither know the time or date when this will happen, for as we hear Jesus say today, “but as for that day or hour, nobody knows it, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son; no one but the Father.” We should not speculate or concern ourselves when the end of times will happen, as this can be a form of escapism from the present moment of grace and action. Although, the future is important to prepare for, the present moment is foundational for a good preparation for the future. We are invited this Sunday to “stay awake and stand ready, because you do not know the hour when the Son of Man is coming”. How might we do this? Firstly, it involves an element of trust. As we hear from the prophet Daniel, “when that time comes, your own people will be spared”. We are invited to trust in the Lord with all matters of our life, especially all future events, knowing that God’s grace is before us. Today’s psalm reflects this reality, in that we are to take refuge in God who will preserve us. This trust is manifested in prayer, in that heart-to-heart conversation and openness to the presence of God. Secondly, follow the guidance of Jesus in the criteria of Last Judgement(cf. Matthew 25: 31-46). One of the fundamental measures of our Christian lives and our judgement will be how we cared for people in need, especially the poor and rejected. This is faith and prayer in action. Lastly, every time we gather to celebrate the liturgy, we celebrate the mysteries until our Lord comes again. In the celebration of the liturgy, we recall the past salvific events of Christ, we celebrate it here-and-now, and we look forward to the future, when the fullness of time will occur and when all will converge in Christ. Our participation in the sacraments, especially the eucharist, prepare us for eternal life (cf. CCC 1130). For as we hear in the eucharistic prayers – “as we look forward to his second coming” (EP III) and “as we await his coming in glory” (EP IV). Let us leave the future in God’s hand, but trust in his grace and work with his grace to bear fruit that will endure for eternal life.
Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
CCC 1038-1050: the Last Judgment; hope of a new heaven and a new earth
CCC 613-614, 1365-1367: Christ’s one perfect sacrifice and the Eucharist
This Sunday we are deep in the territory of the Final Judgement (First Reading and Psalm) and the ex-funeral Sequence Dies Irae (Gospel).
For The Last Judgement (First Reading) see CCC1038-1041.
Associated with, and proceeding the Final Judgement, recall the Four Last Things; Death, Judgement, Heaven, and Hell, see CCC para. 1020-1037.
Today’s readings are both a warning and a comfort; a paradox. They are typical of the readings the Lectionary offers us in all three years at this time of the Liturgical Year, its end. Why might that be?
How do we approach apocalyptic literature? Future events as they will literally occur? Enigma? Metaphor? Horror? Hope? Warning? Invitation? Comfort?
Note: These hymns have been chosen from different sources.
Lo, he comes with clouds descending (CFE373, L109, LHON438, TCH7)
O Jesus Christ, remember (CFE535, L982, LHON521, TCH125)
Wait for the Lord (CFE762, L88, LHON897)
Seek ye first the kingdom of God (CFE633, L820, LHON604)
Key
CFE - Celebration Hymnal for Everyone
L – Laudate
LHON – Liturgical Hymns Old and New (Mayhew, 1999)
TCH – The Catholic Hymnbook (Gracewing)
Do you have questions about the liturgy and how we are called to participate in it? Explore how the Church councils, saints, and popes have answered this key question and many more.
Every movement of the Mass is rich in meaning but we can become over-familiar with it. Rediscover the Mass and explore how it relates to the Exodus story, where many of its rituals come from, and how it makes Jesus present to us today.
