Now we have come to the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time on Cycle B. It means that we have two weeks left in this liturgical year, with one more Sunday, which is the 34th Sunday, known as Christ the King Sunday. The last Sunday of Liturgical Year, Christ the King Sunday, is to reflect on the Parousia, the return of Christ at the end of time. After the week of Christ the King Sunday, we will move on to the next Cycle – Cycle C, starting a new liturgical year on First Sunday of Advent.
There is a common theme that connects the 33rd
Sunday of Cycle B to the first two Sundays of Advent of Cycle C. And it is
about preparedness.
On the 33rd Sunday, the main theme of the
Gospel Reading (Mark 13:24-32) is our preparedness for Parousia, Christ’s
return as the King and the Judge. And for the First Sunday of Advent of the
following Liturgical Year (Cycle C), the Gospel Reading (Luke 21:25-28,34-36)
calls us to remain alert for Parousia but uses this theme of preparedness to
prepare us for the first coming of Christ. Then, for the Second Sunday of Advent,
the Gospel Reading (Luke 3:1-6) calls us for the preparedness for the first
coming of Christ, through the words of John the Baptist. It is interesting to
note that both the Gospel Reading for the 33rd Sunday on Cycle B
(Mark 13:24-32) and the Gospel Reading for the First Sunday of Advent on Cycle
C (Luke 21:25-28,34-36) are taken from Jesus’ Olivet Discourse found in the
Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 24:1-25:46//Mark 13:1-37//Luke 21:5-36). The Olivet
Discourse of Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels makes an interesting contrast to
Jesus’ Last Supper Farewell Discourse (John 14:1-17:26). While Jesus alerted
the disciples to his return at the end of time for the Judgement through the
Olivet Discourse, he prepared them for the apostolic mission upon his ascension,
following his death and resurrection, until his return.
To prepare for the last
Sunday of a Liturgical Year, the 34th Sunday in Ordinary Time, also
known as, Christ the King Sunday or the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the
King of the Universe, the Gospel Readings of the 31st Sunday (Mark
12:28b-34), the 32nd Sunday (Mark 12:38-44) and the 33rd
Sunday (Mark 13:24-32) describe Jesus’ teachings during his last days in
Jerusalem – what we reflect on during the Holy Week. In the Gospel Reading for
the 32nd Sunday, Jesus taught the importance of giving our whole
livelihood to God, as exemplified by the poor widow (Mark 12:38-44), after
cleansing the Temple corrupted by hypocrites (Mark 11:15-19) upon entering
Jerusalem triumphantly (Mark 1:1-11). And giving our whole livelihood is a
great example of what it means to love God with all our heart, with all our
soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength – the most important
commandment of all (Deuteronomy 6:5; Mark 12:30).
In the Gospel Reading for
the 33rd Sunday (Mark 13:24-32), drawn from the last discourse of
Jesus, known as the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24:4-25:46//Mark 13:3-37//Luke
21:5-36). The Mark’s version of the Olivet Discourse describes Jesus’ warning
to guard against the deception of false prophetic teaching and false Christs on
sings of the end of time (Mark 13:5-23), true signs of the return of Christ at
the end of time (Mark 13:24-31), and the importance of staying watchful for the
true signs of Christ’s return as nobody knows when he will return (Mark 13:32-37).
Having been warned against
false Christs and fake prophecies and miracles in regard to the end of time
(Mark 13:5-23), Jesus now describes a set of phenomena that leads to Christ’s
return: the darkness and celestial disturbances (Mark 13:25), following the
distressing tribulation (Mark 13:24). The darkened sun, the moon that no longer
gives light, and falling stars, and shakings of celestial objects (Mark 13:25)
represent God’s judgement (cf. Isaiah 13:10-13; 24:21-23; Joel 2:10-11;
28-32;Amos 8:9-14).
After the tribulation (Mark
13:24) and the judgement (Mark 13:25), the Parousia will take place in the way
of Christ returning in clouds with great power and glory, sending his angels
from all directions and all the ends of the earth and heaven to gather those
who have been chosen for their faithfulness (Mark 13:26-27). The four winds
(Mark 13:2; cf. Zechariah 2:6) symbolically indicate all directions: north,
south, east, and west. And this seems to correspond to the four angels at four
corners of the earth (Revelation 7:1).
Jesus juxtaposes the signs
of Christ’s return to bring the Judgement: the darkened sun, the darkened moon,
falling stars, and shuffles of the celestial objects (Mark 13:25) to the signs
of the coming of summer recognized in the tenderness of twigs and leaves coming
out in a fig tree (Mark 13:28-29) to help his disciples understand and prepare
for the eschaton and his return for
the Judgement. Then, he speaks of what will pass away with tribulation and what
will not (Mark 13:30-31). Those who will not pass away, represented with “this generation”(Mark
13:30) can be referred as those who are sealed for the protection from
destruction of the Judgement (cf. Revelation 7:3), endured tribulation and
wearing robes washed white with the blood of Christ the Lamb of God (Revelation
7:14), namely, those who are regarded as saints. And they will be preserved
while all other things in heaven and earth are passing away as the Judgement is
brought, just as the Word of God in Christ’s words will never pass away (Mark
13:31; cf. Matthew 5:18; Psalm 119:89; Isaiah 40:8). In this contrast between
what will pass away and what will not, we see those who will be assembled to
the throne of Christ the King upon tribulation and the Judgement (Revelation
7:1-17) and those who are called by the King to be his bride (Revelation 20:9)
to be retained, while those who are judged not worthy to be the bride of Christ
will be permanently destroyed in the lake of fire with Satan at the end
(Revelation 20:15), just as the devil and his collaborators, such as the false
prophet, are thrown into permanent torture (Revelation 20:10). And this is also
reflected in his parable of the what and the weeds (Matthew 13:24-30) and the
parable of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31-46), foretold by John the
Baptist (Matthew 3:12), and reflected on the fig tree cursed by Jesus for being
deceptive with leaves as if having its fruit (Mark 11:12-14, 20-21).
Then, Jesus reminds sternly that no one, not even himself, except the Father in heaven, knows when the Parousia will take place (Mark 13:32) to emphasize the importance of alertness (Mark 13:33). And the alertness will be a running theme for the first two Sundays of Advent that will follow the end of this Liturgical Year.
Those who will not pass away
with the Judgement are those who have endured the tribulation with steadfast
faith and having their robes washed white with the blood of Christ the Lamb of
God (Revelation 7:9-14). And these are saints and redeemed, reflected also in
the First Reading (Daniel 12:1-3).
In the Second Reading
(Hebrews 10:11-14,18), we see Christ the King, who will return to Judge and
assemble his redeemed to his throne (Revelation 7:15) as the perfect and
eternal High Priest, who forgives and redeems by his blood, or his Judement.
The First Readings (Daniel
12:1-3) is also reflected in 2 Thessalonians 1:4-10; Revelation 6:12-7:17;
14:1-5, 6-20; and Revelation 20:4-15, in regard to those who faced and endured
tribulations because of their steadfast faith in Christ will be fully restored
with him upon his right and just judgement upon his return.
Now we have listened to
Jesus as to how we are to prepare ourselves for his return at the end of time
and for the Judgement. We need to be watchfully discern what are false signs
and what are real sings of his coming at the end of time to judge and to redeem
his elect to be worthy as his bride. So, we do not to be anxious about the end
of time and Christ’s return and Judgement as we keep our faith steadfast.
Rather we sing with joy and gratitude that the Lord is our inheritance and
redemptive refuge, indeed, as sung in the Responsorial Psalm (16).
Before the Parousia, everything in heaven and earth
will pass away but Christ’s words will not (Mark 13:31; cf. Psalm 119:89). But,
as long as we keep the Word of God from Christ in us, we will not be lost or
wiped away in the Judgement, as we have been enduring with our faith and the
Word of God, empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Look! Christ is coming back
to judge and gather his elect – those who pass the judgemnet – to usher into
his Kingdom next Sunday, at least, liturgically. Are you ready to meet Christ the King and the
Judge to give your account on how you have been living a life of faith and how
you have been keeping his words and observing the commandments?
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