Commentary
Sunday, 11/17/2019, Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Don’t Miss the Train
First Reading Commentary: Malachi 3:19-20a
Malachi’s prophecy is yet another warning to repent before the coming of the Lord. He tells us that the day will be blazing like an oven and that evildoers will be set on fire.
This prophecy is a description of two things that we see in the Book of Revelation. First, we see the burning coals that will be hurled down to the earth. We also see the evildoers being cast into the pool of fire and sulfur which is referenced several times throughout Revelation.
For some people, the imagery found in the Book of Revelation is scary and full of doom and gloom and for that reason, they do not like to read it. But the more you read the Old Testament and certain gospels where Jesus speaks about being ready for His second coming, the more of Revelation is presented to you whether you read the book or not.
We should take to heart the warnings that are given to us by the prophets especially when we hear them say, “Thus says the LORD” as Malachi does today. That is not to make light of John’s vision. Most of the prophets did not have a vision of the Kingdom and those that did, did not have the complete vision that John had. I see John’s vision as a confirmation of what the prophets told us. Remember too that many people asked Jesus for a sign and asked how they would know when “that” day would be. I see John’s vision as possibly being the most detailed answer that we are going to get from Jesus.
Looking for a sign is not important. For one thing, no matter how many signs are given to us, if we are not ready; none of them will matter. What does matter is that we be ready to enter the Kingdom when the last day does come. Think of it this way: if you are about to take a trip and you have a train to catch, you may miss the train if you are not ready on time. But if you are ready, you can be at the station waiting for the train to come and when it does come, you will surely already be on board when the conductor says, “All aboard.”
The same is true for us with the second coming of Christ. If we are ready, the only thing that we will have, to do is wait for Jesus to come. But if we are not ready, we will miss the “All aboard” call. And, the fact is that without faith, we cannot be ready.
In Revelation, the “All Aboard” call is in Revelation 20: 12-15 which is when the book of life is opened. You could say that those who do not have their name written in the book of life, miss the train.
Serve Each Other and Practice What You Preach
Second Reading Commentary: 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12
We tend to dismiss people when they say that we should be like them because they come across as believing that they are perfect. Nevertheless, Paul said to the Thessalonians, “You know how one must imitate us.” In other words, be like me and the other Apostles.
But Paul was not being egotistical. He was not trying to say that he was self-righteous or that the Apostles were, self-righteous. To the contrary, he was telling the Thessalonians and all of us to submit to humility. Paul was making the point that with their humility, he and the Apostles acted in a way which was consistent with the way that Jesus led His life and that they were following the instructions that Jesus had given them: love neighbor and serve others.
Everything that Paul and the Apostles did in their ministries was for the love of others in keeping with the Second Greatest Commandment. But in this part of his letter, Paul was placing emphasis on the importance of service to others.
Paul’s message today should remind us that Jesus told us very clearly that whatever we do for the least of our brethren, we do for Him. Therefore, when we serve others, we serve God. And, by serving God, we earn our reward in heaven.
Paul said that anyone who was unwilling to work should not eat. But Paul was not talking about working for the kind of physical reward or payment for services rendered that we might expect. He was not talking about bread and water. Rather, this was all about earning the reward of eternal life.
Serving others is not easy especially, those who we may not like or are our enemies. It’s not always easy to serve those whom we love either. Serving others requires that we possess and use all, of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. That is not easy and yes it is work.
Paul and the Apostles carried out their work, in part, by taking the Gospel to the people and we are called to do the same. We are not to be selfish with God’s Word by holding it in and keeping it for ourselves. Instead, we are called to evangelize sharing the Good News of the Gospel. We actually serve each other when we do.
But there is something else that Paul is telling us today. He is telling us to be careful of how we criticize. As a matter of fact, we should mind our business.
We should think twice about criticizing others for the very same sin that we commit ourselves and we surely should not sentence others to a punishment that we are not willing to accept ourselves. Paul put it this way, “Such people we instruct and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly and to eat their own food.” In other words, keep your mouth shut about what others do and accept the consequences for what you do. Consider this: Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden because they did not accept the consequences for what they did and ask for forgiveness. Instead, they pointed the finger.
When you get right down to it, it is all about being the Christians that we profess to be. It’s not easy but we have to show our love for each other by serving each other and we have, to be able to teach and chastise each other when necessary without condemning each other.
Persevere in Faith and Never Mind the Sign
Gospel Commentary: Luke 21:5-19
Jesus warned that the temple would be destroyed but the people did not understand Jesus was talking about more than the physical structure of the temple building in Jerusalem. Jesus was telling the people that there is no need for a temple in the Kingdom because He and the Father are the temple.
The people also did not realize that the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem is a sign of things to come. It is also a sign that nothing of this world has value in heaven and everything of this world must be left behind as we enter the Kingdom.
The people could not make a connection with anything that Jesus was telling them so they asked Jesus when this would happen and what sign would there be? Jesus answered, “See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’ Do not follow them.”
Jesus was warning the people and He is warning us about false prophets and He was telling us not to listen to false prophets. That is an easy thing to say but ignoring the false prophets; takes faith because some of them are very persuasive with their cunning message and false prophecies can only come from the evil one who is the master of telling lies. It is sad but I believe that some false prophets do not even realize that they do not speak the truth.
Jesus told of things that would happen, saying, “…such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end.” The time frame associated with “not immediately,” no one knows and no one will ever know until it comes. Everything that Jesus described has happened and continues to happen. But we cannot put faith in the predictions that others make. We should only put our faith in God. The end will come when it comes and that will be when God says so.
So, what did Jesus say would happen? He said that there would be wars, that nation would rise against nation, that there would be powerful earthquakes and mighty signs from the sky which I take to mean, super storms.
Jesus also said, “Before all this happens…they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name.” Jesus is telling us that there will be religious persecution of those who believe in Him.
In today’s world, we hear of people sacrificing their lives for what they believe all too often. But we should not worry about that. Remember the reward in heaven for those who are persecuted as promised by Jesus when He gave us the Beatitudes. Matthew 5:10-11.
Jesus also tells us that we should not prepare a defense because He will give us wisdom in speaking to our adversaries which will leave them powerless to refute. In other words, we will leave them speechless and dumfounded.
Jesus said, “By your perseverance you will secure your lives.” That does not mean that those who are persecuted will not become martyrs because some of them will. But it does mean that those who stand up to being persecuted because of their faith in God will enjoy eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven.
