As the week of the 34th Sunday in Ordinary Time on
one liturgical cycle ends and another begins with the First Week of
Advent at a stroke of midnight bell tonight, we ponder meaning of this
transitional period from one liturgical year to another.
Toward the last week (the 34th week in Ordinary Time) of an outgoing liturgical cycle, the last three Sunday Gospel readings (Gospel readings for the 32nd, the 33rd, and the 34th Sundays) increasingly reflect upon our needs to be prepared for Christ’s return (Parousia) as the King of the Universe to judge and completely destroy all evils. An important lesson to prepare ourselves to close a liturgical year is to stand ready to meet the Lord upon his return at the eschaton. We are called to remain vigilant, not doze off, as his return can be like a thief entering into a house (Matthew 24:43; 1Thessalonians 5:2,4; 2 Peter 3:10; Revelation 16:15).
Toward the last week (the 34th week in Ordinary Time) of an outgoing liturgical cycle, the last three Sunday Gospel readings (Gospel readings for the 32nd, the 33rd, and the 34th Sundays) increasingly reflect upon our needs to be prepared for Christ’s return (Parousia) as the King of the Universe to judge and completely destroy all evils. An important lesson to prepare ourselves to close a liturgical year is to stand ready to meet the Lord upon his return at the eschaton. We are called to remain vigilant, not doze off, as his return can be like a thief entering into a house (Matthew 24:43; 1Thessalonians 5:2,4; 2 Peter 3:10; Revelation 16:15).
Christ’s return at the eschaton is like a thief entering into
a house in the middle of night? It is rather a hyperbolic expression to warn us
not to be off -guard when he returns. This teaching on vigilance toward the time
of Parousia is also reflected in Jesus’ parable of the ten
virgins (Matthew 25:1-13), as well as his parable of the watchful servants and
his explanation of the parable (Luke 12:35-48).
When Peter asked Jesus about the parable of the faithful servants (Luke
12:35-40), “Lord, is this parable meant for us or for
everyone?”(Luke 12:41), Jesus answered:
“Who, then, is the
faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants
to distribute [the] food allowance at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so. Truly, I say
to you, he will put him in charge of all his property.
But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and
begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get
drunk, then that servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an
unknown hour and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the
unfaithful. That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make
preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; and the
servant who was ignorant of his master’s will but acted in a way deserving of a
severe beating shall be beaten only lightly. Much will be required of the
person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted
with more.” Luke
12:42-48
Realize from the above words of Jesus that those who fail to be ready to meet Christ in good standing when he returns will be subject to due punishment, whether
they knew of his return but failed to act accordingly or they failed due to
ignorance.
In fact, the Gospel readings for the 34th Sunday (Matthew
25:31-46, A; John 18:33-37, B; Luke 23:35-43, C) address failures to see Jesus as
the King, who comes to judge. The passages of Matthew 25:31-46 on Cycle A echo
Luke 12:42-48, while John 18:33-37 on Cycle B and Luke 23:35-43 on Cycle C
remind how our failure to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah King turned into killing him! However, we find a glimmer of hope in the darkness of ignorance as
there is one thief, who was crucified along Christ and another criminal,
recognized Jesus as God and the Messianic King, repenting and submitting
himself to the mercy of God, saying, “Jesus, remember me when you come into
your kingdom”(Luke 23:42). And Jesus assured him of his salvation saying, “Amen,
I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise”(Luke 23:43).
When our ignorance about the Messiah King contributed to the killing of him for
the crime of being “the King of the Jews”(i.e. John 19:19) about 2,000 years
ago in Jerusalem, at least there was one person to recognized Jesus as God and
the Messiah King, as reflected in the Gospel reading for the 34th Sunday
(Christ the King Sunday) on Cycle C (Luke 23:35-43). In fact, the
way the world reacted to the first coming of this Messiah King, Jesus, to this
world has some
similarity. The Lucan narrative of the Nativity (Luke 2:1-20) reminds us that
the world was totally ignorant about the first coming of the Messiah King, even
though his coming had been prophesized in the Old Testament (i.e. Genesis 3:15;
Psalm 24:1-10; Isaiah 7:14; Zechariah 9:9; Malachi 4:2). That is why Mary and
Joseph could not find a place to welcome Jesus in a decent place but end up in
an animal stable in the outskirts of Bethlehem. When Mary the Virgin gave birth
to Jesus, the Messiah King, nobody noticed and celebrated, except until the
shepherds, who represent marginalized people of the society, were noticed by
angel and came to rejoice witnessing the Messiah King in his nativity (Luke
2:15-20).
In fact, the world really did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah King until
after Jesus came to the Jordan River to be baptized by his cousin, John the
Baptist, who had been calling the world to prepare for the public appearance of
the Messiah King, citing Isaiah 40:3. It had been at least 30 years since the
coming of the Messiah King in his Nativity for the world to gradually notice
his presence among us, as said in John 1:14 and 3:16, except for the Magi from
the east seemed to have acknowledged Jesus as the King (Matthew 2:1-12) and for
Simeon and Ana see him as the long-awaited Messiah (Luke 2:21-38) while he was
still a baby.
You see how ignorant we were when our Messiah King was born at his Nativity and
at his death and even when he resurrected. He does not want us to be so
ignorant when he comes back! That was why we were reminded not to be ignorant
but remain vigilant for his return toward the end of the outgoing liturgical
year.
Now, we welcome a new liturgical year in and begin the Advent season to prepare
for the celebration of the Nativity of the Messiah King. As we prepared for the
feast of Christ the King of the Universe on the 34th Sunday in
Ordinary Time of the outgoing liturgical year, we are again reminded to remain
vigilant and alert throughout our Advent preparation for the feast of the
Nativity of the Lord so that we can welcome the Messiah King into our heart on
the feast of his first coming with joy. To kick off into a new liturgical year
with First Sunday of Advent, the Gospel readings for the very first Sunday of a
liturgical year (Matthew 24:37-44 on A; Mark 13:33-37 on B; Luke 21:25-28,
34-36 on C) call us to stay γρηγορέω/gregoreo (vigilant) (Matthew 24:42, 43; 25:13; Mark 13:34, 35,
37) and ἀγρυπνέω/agrupneo (alert) (Luke 21:36).
We want to close one liturgical year and to welcome another one as we
remain γρηγορέω/gregoreo (vigilant) and ἀγρυπνέω/agrupneo
(alert). After all, who wants to miss out the coming of our Messiah King out of
ignorance or drowsiness?
What bridges an outgoing liturgical year and an incoming new year is our fully
vigilant and alert state of mind.
Maranatha! We long to your coming, our Lord, Jesus! We cannot wait to meet you at your adventus!
We cannot fall asleep because we do not want to miss the very moment of your glorious
adventus, as we stay ready for the Parousia and ready to celebrate your
Nativity, when you began to dwell among us!
Christ’s return at the eschaton is like a thief entering into a house in the middle of night? It is rather a hyperbolic expression to warn us not to be off -guard when he returns. This teaching on vigilance toward the time of Parousia is also reflected in Jesus’ parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13), as well as his parable of the watchful servants and his explanation of the parable (Luke 12:35-48).
When Peter asked Jesus about the parable of the faithful servants (Luke 12:35-40), “Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?”(Luke 12:41), Jesus answered:
“Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute [the] food allowance at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so. Truly, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property.
But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk, then that servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the unfaithful. That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.” Luke 12:42-48
Realize from the above words of Jesus that those who fail to be ready to meet Christ in good standing when he returns will be subject to due punishment, whether they knew of his return but failed to act accordingly or they failed due to ignorance.
In fact, the Gospel readings for the 34th Sunday (Matthew 25:31-46, A; John 18:33-37, B; Luke 23:35-43, C) address failures to see Jesus as the King, who comes to judge. The passages of Matthew 25:31-46 on Cycle A echo Luke 12:42-48, while John 18:33-37 on Cycle B and Luke 23:35-43 on Cycle C remind how our failure to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah King turned into killing him! However, we find a glimmer of hope in the darkness of ignorance as there is one thief, who was crucified along Christ and another criminal, recognized Jesus as God and the Messianic King, repenting and submitting himself to the mercy of God, saying, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom”(Luke 23:42). And Jesus assured him of his salvation saying, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise”(Luke 23:43).
In fact, the world really did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah King until after Jesus came to the Jordan River to be baptized by his cousin, John the Baptist, who had been calling the world to prepare for the public appearance of the Messiah King, citing Isaiah 40:3. It had been at least 30 years since the coming of the Messiah King in his Nativity for the world to gradually notice his presence among us, as said in John 1:14 and 3:16, except for the Magi from the east seemed to have acknowledged Jesus as the King (Matthew 2:1-12) and for Simeon and Ana see him as the long-awaited Messiah (Luke 2:21-38) while he was still a baby.
You see how ignorant we were when our Messiah King was born at his Nativity and at his death and even when he resurrected. He does not want us to be so ignorant when he comes back! That was why we were reminded not to be ignorant but remain vigilant for his return toward the end of the outgoing liturgical year.
Now, we welcome a new liturgical year in and begin the Advent season to prepare for the celebration of the Nativity of the Messiah King. As we prepared for the feast of Christ the King of the Universe on the 34th Sunday in Ordinary Time of the outgoing liturgical year, we are again reminded to remain vigilant and alert throughout our Advent preparation for the feast of the Nativity of the Lord so that we can welcome the Messiah King into our heart on the feast of his first coming with joy. To kick off into a new liturgical year with First Sunday of Advent, the Gospel readings for the very first Sunday of a liturgical year (Matthew 24:37-44 on A; Mark 13:33-37 on B; Luke 21:25-28, 34-36 on C) call us to stay γρηγορέω/gregoreo (vigilant) (Matthew 24:42, 43; 25:13; Mark 13:34, 35, 37) and ἀγρυπνέω/agrupneo (alert) (Luke 21:36).
We want to close one liturgical year and to welcome another one as we remain γρηγορέω/gregoreo (vigilant) and ἀγρυπνέω/agrupneo (alert). After all, who wants to miss out the coming of our Messiah King out of ignorance or drowsiness?
What bridges an outgoing liturgical year and an incoming new year is our fully vigilant and alert state of mind.
Maranatha! We long to your coming, our Lord, Jesus! We cannot wait to meet you at your adventus! We cannot fall asleep because we do not want to miss the very moment of your glorious adventus, as we stay ready for the Parousia and ready to celebrate your Nativity, when you began to dwell among us!
No comments:
Post a Comment