2nd Sunday of Advent Year C, 2024

 

(Baruch 5:1-9; Philippians 1:3-6, 8-11; Luke 3:1-6) 

Some two thousand years ago, John the Baptist called upon his Jewish compatriots to prepare themselves for the fulfilment of their vocation as God’s Chosen People, by preparing the way for the coming Messiah: a ‘Lamb-of-God’ Man recognized as such by John  (son of the Virgin Mary’s  elderly ‘kinswoman’ Elizabeth). John had recognized Jesus ‘instinctively’ when in his own mother’s womb; and later – having lived many years in the desert and become John the Baptist – he recognized Him again, this time by the prophetic grace of God, as the One born of the immaculate Virgin Mary of Nazareth, so revered by his own blessed mother Elizabeth and saintly father, Zechariah;   now, John was to fulfil his own personal calling and his father’s prophecy by proclaiming Jesus as Christ the Lord, God, and Saviour of all mankind.

Today Mother Church recommends that we -- the faithful remnant of believers in Jesus’ offer of salvation -- carefully reconsider John’s inspired proclamation, because of its great significance for us who are now preparing to invite and welcome the same Lord, God, and Saviour, into our very own hearts and minds anew this Christmas.

Some 700 years before John, the prophet Isaiah had spoken of the messianic times to come in Judah by evoking:

A voice (that) cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God   Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill made low. The uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.  And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken”. (40:3-5)

For our evangelist St. Luke, John the Baptist was that very voice crying in the wilderness, and the greatest of all those born of woman, as Jesus Himself would later declair. John taking up Isaiah’s prophecy, insisted that all those awaiting the imminent coming of the Messiah had to do something to further both the advent of the Messiah in their days, and in fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy.  And Mother Church, setting Luke’s Gospel message before us today, suggests likewise that we -- each and every one of us who believe in Jesus and desire His Advent blessing this year – do something in accordance with John’s inspired proclamation, something that we alone can and should do: first, acknowledge with sincere sorrow our own personal sins, and accompany  that by fruits expressive of such repentance, above all, however, by awaiting the Coming One with hearts full of gratitude, eager to receive and embrace Him as the Only-begotten Son of God, sublimely gifted to us, as One of us, the very Lamb of God, Jesus Who alone can enable us to fulfil our divine calling and live as truly adopted children of God, and Jesus’ own brothers and sisters.

It is so easy for still-faithfully-practicing Catholics in these modern times of popular faithlessness and rank-and-file betrayal of Jesus, to settle down, limiting themselves to holding firmly to the Faith they were originally taught, taking care they do not betray or fall short of it.  In fact, however, Mother Church -- as she prepares to suitably welcome Jesus, the Prince of Peace and Light of the World -- is being called to witness a renewal of her living faith and loving witness by refreshed lives this Christmas.  She needs her children to show authentic joy by growth in that Faith and deepening of that love – our grateful love – meant to enwrap it: embracing and reviving the love of so many martyrs, confessors, and fellow faithful Catholics who have treasured and handed the Faith down to us over centuries.

Devout Catholics are regular in their observance of Sundays and holydays, and they intend to receive the sacraments well.  However, though they do these things regularly, which is good, they can also tend to do them routinely, which is not quite so good.  For, having routinely done these practices, they then tend to wait for the Lord.  They do not often think to undertake un-burdensome heart-and-mind approaches, which are not things that can be called duties, but are endeavours to respond to God’s secret invitation, to answer God’s Personal call being made to them individually, personally.

Too many Catholic disciples of Jesus hear Mother Church calling them in the name of God, from without themselves, but they do not seem to hear God Himself whispering within themselves, from within that secret and most holy sanctuary which is their own soul.  Thus, they confine themselves to mediocrity: because they are, in fact, coming to a halt, settling for obligations and duties -- long known and recognized -- faithfully observed each and every year, but going no further, no deeper. Now such a ‘coming to a halt’, at whatever level, is mediocrity for one called to allow the Holy Spirit to lead him or her throughout their life to become more like Jesus, ever more truly a child of God.

Dear fellow disciples of Jesus, God the Father Who first called you to Jesus  is still calling you to Jesus by the Holy Spirit Who wants to lead you further along the way of Jesus that He might bestow on you  what He, God, wants and plans FOR YOU.

Paul was very proud of his converts in Philippi and he acknowledged that not only were they indebted to himself, but that he too was indebted to them for the assistance they had given him in his need.  He prayed for them as special friends:

It is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more with knowledge and all discernment. (1:9)

Now, that should be the programme for all of us: for our love can abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.  Now, don’t immediately think that is not for you, that you can’t do that!  Of course you can’t!!  But God can and He does want to do it for you, to bring it about in you.  You might not, indeed, be the reading, the studious, type, you might not be a particularly deep thinker, but that does not exclude you from taking up God’s invitation: because it is a special invitation to you from Him Who knows you best of all; it is an invitation to lead you to the fullness of your vocation, to give Jesus all your love, in your uniquely personal way.  If you are not a reader, not a deep thinker, O.K., don’t feel any need to force yourself into periods of tedious and fruitless study or reading.  Do what you do best.  Perhaps you like to be with people rather than with books: try, then, to do your best to be with Jesus more.  I don’t necessarily mean kneeling in Church, you might have too many duties and tasks for that: then, just try to be more with Him in your mind and heart using such words as, “I thank You, I trust You, I love You” meaningfully, just as you are naturally so often with your children or your grandchildren in your mind and heart.  If your life seems burdened with other people’s troubles, then understand this: worrying is no part of a Christian vocation, it is a devil’s deceit!  Some people find they can’t keep their attention on prayers which tend to become just empty words: they might however, find great peace in just being in Jesus’ presence in the Church without saying anything: content and happy simply to know that He is there and they are in His presence.  I can’t go through all the ways of deepening love for Jesus here, that is spiritual direction, much ignored today; but be quite sure of this, you ARE invited, called, urged by God the Father, Who wants to help your love for Jesus, His Son, to abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight: not knowledge of facts or insight into problems, but personal knowledge, awareness, appreciation, of the Person of Jesus, that is, understanding of, and empathy with, commitment to, love for, Him.  Such knowledge and insight will enable you to grow just as Paul wanted his beloved Philippians to grow:

That you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ. (1:10)

Some people, even some good Catholics and Christians, try to set good works for others at variance with oneness with Jesus.   They tend to think that they ought to be doing something for Jesus, some good work, some visible, tangible, work that helps to free at least one corner of the world from its overwhelming burden of suffering and sin: work of that nature, they feel, is much better than just ‘becoming holy’.

Of course, when they put it in that way to themselves, they are loading the dice for their own purposes, because, comparing supposedly generous works for others with the implied selfishness of oneself trying to become holy before God is totally wrong.  True holiness is the most unselfish state possible, it is entirely God centred: true holiness is love of God that will lead to total forgetfulness of self, and such self-sacrifice in the likeness of Jesus, is only authentic and true when it is a spontaneously free gift, brought about indeed by the Holy Spirit, but allowed, accepted, embraced, and whole-heartedly followed, by the recipient. Such holiness is most un-common and no easy option.  True holiness, it was, that sustained the early martyrs suffering persecution under the Roman Empire; and still today continues to manifest itself in the lives of those enduring and dying for Jesus under modern fanatical or totalitarian regimes, or those saddened and oppressed by their own compatriots’ rejection of Jesus’ demanding love, for easier and more pleasing worldly and/or fleshly options (2 Timothy 4:3–4):

The time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching but, having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions  and will turn away from listening to the truth.

God can always find many people to do things for Him; for many there are, who will do good things for motives such as self-approval or public appreciation; frequently, the very relief of working at something that occupies their mind and distracts their heart is enough for them.  Indeed, there are those to be found, as St. Paul himself experienced who will even do good things for evil reasons: 

Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.  What then?  Only that in every way, whether in pretence or in truth, Christ is proclaimed and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice. (Philippians 1:15–18),

Even now there are a number of people who will do good things for Jesus, but those who want to love Jesus Himself are much rarer ‘birds';

Therefore, let us turn back to our second reading where St. Paul spoke (1:5) to the Philippians of:

Their partnership (with him) in the gospel from the first day until now.

In that spirit of loving appreciation and gratitude he prayed most especially that:

(Their) love may abound more and more with knowledge and all discernment.

Dear People of God, our fellowship St. Paul with in proclaiming Christ in today’s hostile world requires that work of us which he so persuasively urged his friends at Philippi to undertake in all confidence.  It is, precisely, our essential part in the missionary work of Mother Church today; and ultimately, only such a partnership of the whole faithful Christian people in the Church’s proclamation of the Gospel will lead to the fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy:

            All flesh shall see the salvation of God. (Luke 3:6)

1st Sunday of Advent Year C, 2024

(Jeremiah 33:14-16; 1Thessalonians 3:12 - 4:2; Luke 21:25-28, 34-36) 

Our readings today began with the God of our father Abraham, and the God of Israel pin-pointing – through His prophet Jeremiah -- the breaking point between our initial, Christian and Catholic, Abrahamic Faith, and the Jewish faith of Israel past and present:

Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfil the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah … I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute  justice and righteousness in the land.  

That righteous Branch -- Jesus of Nazareth -- was indeed ‘sent’ to Israel,  but He was to be  rejected by the two ‘native’ powers in Israel: the  self-serving, power-conniving, Temple rulers, and the proud, self-appointed, ‘spiritual spokesmen’ of Israel’s, sinfully-inclined, people.

Now, it is not possible to speak of the events of those latter days using ordinary language, for they will be events unseen before and beyond all human anticipation and imagination; that is why, in the Old and New Testaments -- even when Jesus Himself is speaking  -- the language used is of a special character, called ‘apocalyptic’ language, full of strange and extreme events: cosmic at times in their immensity and impact, always awesome, and often terrifying for mere human beings.  Therefore, because those times will also be times of divine judgement -- when the divinity of Jesus and the supernatural majesty, holiness, and power of the all-Holy God are revealed -- they will be times of deep darkness, and, for the ungodly,  dreadful times of great personal distress, of which only nature’s primeval powers can give us any realistic impression:

There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars; on the earth nations will be in dismay.   People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

In the first reading therefore, speaking of those who would hear and obey Jesus’ words, we heard:

In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely.  And  this is the name by which it (the righteous Branch) will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness'  executing His  justice and righteousness in the land;

Jerusalem will dwell securely because there will be some of her children thus clothed with justice -- the supernatural God-given gift of righteousness -- says the prophet Jeremiah; and that is what St. Paul had in mind in our second reading:

Finally, then, brothers and sisters, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God – just as you are doing – that you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

Mere human beings, who refused to live in a way pleasing to God, and who consequently, would not be clothed with the righteousness of the Lord, would be unable to survive the manifestation of divine holiness on the day of His coming.  We are forewarned about this, dear People of God, every returning summer for, whether we have good eyes or weak eyes makes no difference, all of us can be blinded by the direct glare of the noon-day sun.  Likewise, immediately before the coming of the Lord, personal confidence, courage, riches or ability, much less overflowing rage and anger, or self-pity, will be of no comfort whatsoever, when primeval, instinctive, terror strikes the human heart at the sight of the tumultuous seas, mountainous waves, or the rivers of flaming volcanic lava in full spate.

Only those prepared by sincere conversion and divine endowment, fortified by actual prayer and sought-for personal love of God, will find themselves able to survive those days, as Jesus warned us:

Stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.

Since this will be the situation when God comes to bring time to a close and to destroy sin from the face of the earth; and most especially, when you think that we only have one life, that is only one chance, and whoever gets it wrong cannot come back and try again, it is surely amazing that many put their trust in merely human self-appointed and self-opiniated, teachers, gurus, prophets, and guides!  Divine holiness, majesty and power will be manifested; all-seeing knowledge and inscrutable wisdom will be deployed; and yet, you find some devilishly proud and presumptuous people saying to others who are, incredibly, foolish enough to listen to them: “Follow me, do what I am doing, see how I am enjoying myself!  It won’t be that hard at the end … we just go to sleep, there is nothing after that!”  Issues that have exercised human minds and involved human hearts and consciences from man’s beginning, which have provoked a morally unanimous religious awareness, appreciation, and response from humankind, are challenged and called into question by individuals whose pride is overwhelming and whose life but a fleeting shadow.  They spew out teachings which, seemingly human, are ultimately devilish: sexuality is not something given by nature but something to be ‘more or less’ genetically arranged according to personal preference; homosexuality is an equal option for life alongside marriage between a man and a woman; or again, there is no right and wrong, there is no truth, it is only a matter of social or political correctness and human upbringing; what used to be called ‘sin’ is but the result of genetic disturbance; and human life has no other dignity than what we accord it.

Dear People of God, life for us believers, is a wondrous mystery:  what is its true meaning; has it an ultimate purpose? Of ourselves, we could only guess. Mysterious too are the essential elements of the life we experience:  what is love; how can one find happiness and peace of heart? why is life so tasteless without hope? what is truth? where is justice??  Again, why do we feel, inside, that some things are wrong; and why – having done such things, even though in secret -- do we feel disturbed, ill at ease, indeed, under threat???  Such questions as these are of vital importance, because both reason and experience teach us that life is problematical: money cannot buy happiness, worldly success or renown cannot guarantee peace of heart, nor can present pleasure foster future hope.

Here then, as we begin the season of Advent, we are urged by Mother Church to do some serious thinking.  We are urged look into our hearts, to sound those hidden depths that we so rarely penetrate in our everyday life and activity, for only there can we find some appreciation and understanding of the mystery of our make-up as persons, as individuals who have been made in a divine likeness.  For all of us do believe that we are special: none of us can tolerate injustice done against us, and we all hate lies and love truth as they affect our lives.  Who is there that does not know that life inspires hope, while death, on the other hand, provokes despair?  Inexplicably, we feel ourselves made for life, even though all things else are made and are content to die a natural death.

People of God, we Catholics are Christians -- the original and authentic Christians -- called to bring the Gospel, the Good News, to the whole world, throughout time.  And the message we are commissioned to bring is that Jesus Christ is the only answer to the mystery of human existence and the supreme hope for our human destiny: He alone can bring peace and hope into our hearts and minds, together with the strength to live and love aright both in society and as individuals.  Above all, we are to proclaim Jesus Christ as the only One Who can raise us up to aspire to a heavenly destiny; a destiny before God the Father which will be the glorious and eternal fulfilment of all our possibilities, powers, and longings.  Our teaching is certain and clear:

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14:6)  I and My Father are One. (John 10:30)

Because the Father Who calls us to Jesus has committed all things to Him, so we too, who answer the Father’s call, come to Jesus as His disciples, commit ourselves totally to His Spirit that He might form us in the likeness of Jesus as true children of the Father: there is nothing hidden or horrible in our lives where His presence cannot bring healing and hope, where His rule will not bring peace and fulfilment. 

In all such ways does God’s Providence and Love govern, sustain, and guide our lives that we might ultimately be made able to humbly accept and whole-heartedly embrace what is sure to come:

The Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. (And) when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.   

Christ the King Year B, 2024

 

(Daniel 7:13-14;  Revelation1:5-8;  St. John 18:33-37) 

Today we are gathered to celebrate our King, Jesus Christ, Son of God,  ‘sent’ to be Our Lord and Saviour; and today is the very best time for us to recall that supreme memory of Him: Jesus Himself, explaining to Pilate, the Roman Governor in Jude , just WHO He was:

Pilate said, "So you are a king?".  Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born, and for this purpose I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice."
         
Jesus is King, and as King He bears witness to the truth.  Notice that Jesus says He witnesses to the truth, not just to truth, but to the truth, THE ETERNAL TRUTH that should guide and rule men’s lives here on earth and will ultimately determine their destiny.   Bearing witness to the truth is the distinctive sign of His Kingship.
 
That gives us something to ponder, because we are, or want to be, disciples of Jesus; and He Himself has told us (Luke 6:40):
 
Everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.
 
Now we, as Christians and above all we Catholics, are very much aware of truth because we believe that there is an objective truth about Jesus to be learned and passed on to future generations; just as we have received it, through Mother Church from past generations, and ultimately from the Apostles themselves.  We also believe that as individuals we have to practice that truth, meant to both lovingly guide us how to live, and occasionally to rule us, in order to protect us from all sorts of lies that are wrong and sinful, because they are harmful to humanity created in God’s own image and likeness.
 
Nevertheless, despite this our strong, Catholic awareness of truth, it might possibly come as something of a surprise to renew our awareness of Jesus’ own attitude to truth.

First of all we note that He told Pilate:
For this purpose I was born, and for this purpose I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth.

Indeed Jesus’ even went on to say on another occasion when speaking to His disciples (John 14:6):
          I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life.

Jesus is the Truth, and was sent by His Father to become a man, in order to bear witness to the truth of His Being.  In that case, surely, we can with both gratitude and appreciation, recognize Mother Church’s fundamental mission to proclaim Gospel truth: she cannot change the Gospel given her, to suit changing worldly preferences or satisfy popular demands.  You will remember that, when Jesus established Peter as the rock on which He would build His Church, He said:
          The gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18)

How could the gates of Hades, Satan’s dominion, overcome her?  Listen!  Jesus once told us (John 8:44) of Satan, the Devil,

He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 

So you see that “the gates of Hades”, the kingdom of the devil the father of lies, could only overcome Mother Church by leading her away from the truth into falsehood, by lies or obfuscation.  Such a church could never be allowed to bear the glorious appellation Catholic.   Founded on the rock of Peter’s confession of the truth about Jesus, the Catholic Church can never -- Jesus Himself solemnly promises us -- be led by the devil away from the truth.  Mother Church exists to proclaim and bear witness to the truth although, alas, the German synodal church is still under dark clouds, thanks to her leaders listening to the devil’s obfuscation, and proudly yielding to embrace his offer of ‘plenty’.

Finally, the disciples of Jesus, those called by the Father, those whom Jesus welcomes, are characterized by the following words of Jesus:
Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice. (John 18:37)

Jesus is the truth, Mother Church proclaims and protects the truth, we are on the side of  truth, and we listen to her proclamation of Jesus.
When Pilate heard those words of Jesus, we are told that:
Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?"

Our modern Western society repeats Pilate’s question, and many don’t know what ‘truth’ is or means;  they don’t even bother themselves about it, trying desperately to fill their lives with pleasure and activity in order to forget the question of truth, because truth, as such, governs rational men, and our modern Western world wants, above all, to be free from all possible powers of coercion.

Just think of the glory of Jesus, our Saviour and Risen Lord as He was seen in Daniel’s vision (7:13-14)

He came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him.  And to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom; that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

Jesus, we learnt from the second reading, is:
The Alpha and the Omega, Who is, and Who was, and Who is to come, the Almighty.
And  when He comes, His majesty and power will be manifest to all:
Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of Him.  Even so.  Amen.

Now He -- the Lord of Glory -- is Truth, and His whole kingdom, power, authority and glory, is founded on truth.  His disciples, too, have all been drawn by His Father, to His truth, for His truth.

Truth is our life as Catholics.  How do we live it?  Is it just a matter of trying not to tell lies of whatever sort?  That, of course, is absolutely essential.  The devil is the father of lies, we cannot serve him.  But we can only come to share in the Kingdom of God with Jesus our King if truth rules in our hearts, in each and every aspect of our life as Catholics and authentic Christians.

Our King is Truth, our Church proclaims and defends the truth, and we are drawn to Jesus because we are on the side of truth.

If we are to be truly sincere as disciples of Jesus, we have to endeavour to understand the ramifications of truth.  For example, can anyone who is always worrying be recognized as an authentic disciple of Jesus?  To love Jesus means also, surely, to trust Him!  Again, if, when trouble comes along, a disciple instinctively and repeatedly turns to human beings for help and consolation without recourse to Jesus in prayer, can such a disciple be considered an authentic disciple?  We have to be true to Jesus and to ourselves if we want  authentic disciples.  Again, if – in a free society -- we never speak up for Jesus, His teaching, and His Church, no matter what people say against Him, can we be considered authentic and true disciples?  Can parents who leave the teaching of their children exclusively to the school, without themselves speaking of Jesus with their children, be regarded as authentic Catholic, Christian, parents?

People of God, Jesus is King and He wants us to share with Him in the joys of His Kingdom.  Truth is the light that must shine in our lives if we are to be able to live with Him in the Kingdom of His Father as children of light.  Each and every one of us must think for ourselves: is Jesus indeed my King, first and foremost in my life?  Does His truth rule me? 

We all have been called by the Father, because we have come to Jesus in the Church.  However, the way we all have to travel is long and it can be steep and hard in places, Future heavenly promises might then seem unreal, and our faith unrewarding.  That is the devil’s work.  He is a liar.  The pleasures he offers are only for a time and they become inevitably less and less delightful as the years go by; and one can be robbed of them at any time by sickness or unforeseen circumstances.  Heavenly promises, on the contrary are eternal, they may seem small, like the mustard seed, to begin with, but they grow ever more wonderful over the years, and not even death itself will be able to rob us of them.

Look to yourselves, therefore, dear friends of Jesus and fellow Christians, take legitimate pride in your calling and above all in your King.  You are called to become like Him Who is the Truth: so persevere in truth; be His true disciples and His truth will make you free, able to reign (co-heirs) with Him in His heavenly Kingdom. 

33rd Sunday Year B, 2024

 

(Daniel 1:1-3; Hebrews 10:11-14; St. Mark 13:24-32) 

For us Catholics and Christians there is a mysterious cohesion between mankind and creation around us.  All life is given or brought into being by the One true God: with what is material and temporal serving and supporting all spiritual degrees, and with our own supreme spirit polarized towards God and eternal life.  As a result of this, things of earth and temporal events can stir our spiritual awareness; they can help us understand and appreciate something more of God’s mysterious presence for us in the world, and as we experience it, we are thus encouraged to live more co-naturally and delightfully with Him and for Him.

Those words of Jesus:

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;

had been used earlier in the Old Testament times predicting the ruin of nations hostile to Israel, as we find the prophet Isaiah (13:10) foretelling the ruin of Babylon the Great:

For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light.

After Isaiah, another great prophet Ezekiel (32:7-8) spoke in similar tones of the forthcoming destruction of Egypt.

Ultimately, the prophet Joel (2:28-33) used like words to proclaim that most beautiful ‘Day of the Lord‘ when the Holy Spirit would be poured out on believers in Jesus, before the wrath of God ultimately destroyed sin and sinners:

And it shall come to pass afterwards that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.  And everyone who  calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

This wondrous ‘pliability’ of earth in relation to divine dispositions is being seen in our days.  The whole world, having largely abandoned the practice of Christian faith, is now growing ever more alarmed by nature's ‘response’ to such godlessness thus officially abounding: the seasons are less and less reliable, the earth’s temperature is rising relentlessly, and unheard-of storms are arising in unheard-of places: snow in desert lands!!   The world becomes daily more deeply troubled, although such alarm is still not able to stir a change that promises relief from threatening crisis.

We Christians and Catholics must share in the world’s endeavours, but we do not share in the world’s alarm.

Jesus used that same type of language to foreshadow God’s final purifying of His People when evil will be purged away and God’s true servants revealed:

And they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.   and then He will send out the angels and gather His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.

From the beginning of His public ministry Jesus had used the title ‘Son of Man’ when speaking of Himself and now, in the words just quoted, He identified Himself for the first time as the ‘One seen in a vision’ by that late and great prophet, Daniel (7:13-14):

 I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came One like a son of man and He came to the Ancient of days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, glory, and kingship; that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him;  His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and His kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

In Daniel, the Son of Man heads the Kingdom of the Saints which is to supersede the heathen empires of the four beasts (Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome). Jesus now, therefore, showing Himself to be the Son of Man in Daniel’s prophecy, enables us to appreciate the fact that, in Him, humankind finds its supreme glory and God’s People its sublime Head

At present, the words of today’s second reading are actually being fulfilled:

He 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;          

and we, in the bosom of Mother Church, are being ‘led to justice’ as the first reading put it, that is, being instructed in virtue and wisdom as we learn to lead our lives in conformity with Jesus’ teaching and come to know truly – in fact and in experience -- something of the infinite beauty and boundless goodness of God our Father.

It is a fact that today we see all around us ‘the wicked proving themselves wicked’; we find that wisdom and understanding, far from being valued and sought after, are derided and disregarded, while the most abominable practices are openly flaunted and accepted; indeed, they can even be found covering themselves over with a cloak of pseudo-respectability in order to mislead, if that were possible, the elect.

People of God, recognize where we find ourselves at this juncture in time: the process for the purification of God’s People and the establishment of His Kingdom has begun, since Jesus has risen from the dead; He is to be seen and heard, known and received by those who love Him in His Church; and all this is leading to a final denouement in which Jesus will be seen by all mankind whether they love Him or not.  He will appear, not humbly as Bread and Wine totally given over to our need and service, but in all His glory as the Son of God, Redeemer and Judge of all mankind

In our Gospel reading Jesus mentioned ‘His elect’ as you heard:

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.

Who are these ‘elect’?  Daniel told us in those words (12:10): many shall be purified, cleansed, and refined, because the elect are those faithful disciples who are being formed into a likeness of their Lord through their experience of, and response to, life under God’s Providence, by the sacraments of Mother Church and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, whereby they are encouraged and enabled to walk perseveringly and faithfully along the way of Jesus. 

Now Jesus speaks of the coming judgement when He says:

After that tribulation (the appearance of false messiahs performing their signs and wonders;  the world glorying in its freedom to sin) 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.

We can imagine something of the calamitous nature of such pre-judgement events because today we are not unaware of the primeval powers at work in our own sun and Milky Way, and in astounding galaxies above and beyond us: galaxies that defy counting and involve powers and occupy space beyond human imagining. 

For the Psalmists of old, however, the heavens spoke most resoundingly of the glory of God.  In those days, though there were few facts available other than what our human senses could immediately discern, the Psalmists -- being filled with God’s spiritual gifts of humility and wisdom -- were able to understand and interpret aright what basic facts were known to them.  Today, on the other hand, for many moderns the facts are so multitudinous and often so tenuous that their minds are overwhelmed as they seek to co-relate and then co-ordinate them into a comprehensible whole; and where faith has been lost or rejected, and pride embraced as a reliable guide, many falsely interpret what they have correctly but only partially observed, with the result that their reading of the heavens proclaims not the Glory and the Goodness of God, but rather power for no purpose, majesty with no significance, and beauty alien in its cold irrelevance.

Therefore, dear People of God, do not let yourselves be troubled by scoffers who ignore the teaching of truth, who walk, indeed run merrily, along the ways that lead ever further from God.  Let Mother Church guide you, let the Spirit of Jesus lead you to righteousness and insight; for then you will come to know, even here on earth, something of the plenitude of peace and fulness of joy promised by Our Lord, before ultimately sharing in His transcendent glory and sublime joy:

When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subjected to Him Who put all things in subjection under Him, that God may be All in all.  (1 Corinthians 15:18)