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You Alone Will Endure. All Else Shall Come to Pass




You Alone Will Endure.  All Else Shall Come to Pass
Mk 13: 24 – 32
33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Introduction
Today’s gospel speaks about the time when Jesus would come again in glory.  His coming signals the passing and the end of everything. This would also signal the time when he would gather all those who have been faithful and have waited for him.

The Gospel
Our reading speaks about the time when Jesus spoke to his disciples about the end of days. Jesus said: “ 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.”
Jesus tells his disciples that the end of days will be preceded by a time of testing, or what he calls, a time of tribulation. Then, after this, the end will be heralded by a cosmic upheaval, where the various heavenly bodies like the sun, moon and stars would cease to follow their usual path and behavior, resulting in some kind of cosmic chaos.  
When this great cataclysm happens, Jesus, the Son of Man, will come amidst the clouds with great power and glory. “He will then send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds from the end of the earth to the end of the sky.”
So while Jesus’ coming in glory may signal the end of everything, it shall  not be the end for the faithful people, who despite persecutions or tribulations, have waited for the Lord’s coming.
These people, whom the gospel calls, the “elect,” will be gathered by the angels and will be united with Jesus in glory. The elect have persevered and have hoped for the Lord’s coming in the midst of tribulations. Now Jesus comes back for them to share his glory with them.
Jesus then gives his disciples a kind of parable that somehow gives us  some idea when the end is coming, saying : “ Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things happening, know that he is near, at the gates.”
Jesus was telling his disciples to watch carefully the signs that would accompany his coming. As the natural order sends signs and signals telling that a season is about to come and go, so too will the coming of Jesus be accompanied by signs that will ascertain that Jesus is indeed near, at the gates.
Jesus then tells his hearers that they themselves shall witness the end of days, saying:” Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place.” 
The early Christians awaited the Lord’s coming in glory. They were hoping and expecting Jesus to come again during their lifetimes. To this day, the Church continues this tradition of waiting for the Lord’s coming. She waits in hope for that day to come when she will be united with her Lord who comes in glory.
Lastly, Jesus tells them: “ Heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away. “  He then further discloses to them something about the time of his coming, saying: “But of that day or hour; no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

Reflection
The image of the end of days and the coming of the Lord in glory elicits from many, feelings of fear and anxiety. This is perhaps a normal reaction, given the fact that this end is described with words like tribulations, falling stars, failing sun and moon. Such a description only makes one imagine a collapsing world that is coming to a violent end.  Consequently, such an end also speaks about the end of life itself, including our own life.  
But the description of the end in cataclysmic terms simply tells us one thing: that everything has an end. All the things that we see, everything that we are familiar with shall all come to an end someday.
But while the end of time tells us that nothing will remain, it also tells us on the other hand, that which shall remain and that which shall not come to pass. As the entire universe disintegrates, it is the eternal Jesus, who comes in glory. Together with the angels, Jesus gathers all who have remained faithful to him and have persevered despite trials and tribulations. To them, Jesus, the Lord of history, gives the gift of eternal life – a life that will know no end, a life that will no longer come to pass.
When we see the end of time in the light of Jesus who returns for us, it should give us great comfort and peace, knowing that our savior returns specifically for us who have hoped in him in the midst of a world that is coming to an end.
When that day comes, the Lord shall wipe every tear from our eyes. He  shall remove all the sorrow and pain that this failing world has inflicted upon us. And when we see the Lord coming in glory, in the midst of a collapsing world, we shall know that indeed, heaven and earth shall pass away, and that only him and his words shall never pass away.
Let us ask the Lord the grace to remain faithful to him, even in the midst of hardships; to hope in him alone and not in created things which will all someday pass away. 

Prayer
Dear Lord, at times I have put my trust and faith in this created world; in created wealth, and in created things. Today, however, you tell me, that all created reality will one day pass away and that you alone will endure. Give me the grace to put my faith and hope in you as I await your coming in glory in that kingdom that never ends. Amen. 


“ Rest in God alone, my soul, for my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I will not be shaken.    -  Psalm 62: 5- 6


For more reflections like this, visit my blog:  thevineyardlaborer.blogspot.com

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