Lesson of the Week: 33rd Sunday in OT (Year B)

 The Light of the Believer

Our lives will reach an end. Some people prepare for the end of their lives with courage. Others are scared when they approach their death. Why are some people afraid of the end of life? For them, death is darkness because no one knows anything beyond death. At the end of life, everyone closed their eyes. Thus, apparently all is dark.

The end of the world is depicted in Mark's gospel in a terrifying way. "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 heaven, and the powers of heavens will be shaken" (Mark 13:24). Darkness.

Is it true that the end of the earth is darkness? It depends on each person's choice. Our Lord Jesus Christ said, "I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows Me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12). He is the Light of the believer and will appear at the end of time and grant salvation to those who follow Him.

"At that time the people will see 'the Son of Man coming in the clouds' with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens" (Mark 13:26–27). In addition, the Book of Daniel proclaims, "But the wise shall shine brightly like the splendour of the firmament, and those who lead the many to justice shall like the stars forever" (Daniel 12:3).

Our whole life is a preparation for our personal "End of the World," and there we will encounter judgment. Where will we end up? Again, it depends on our choice. If during this life we choose to follow light, we will enjoy eternal light. However, whoever follows darkness will enter eternal darkness. [Fr. Albert]

We Do Not Need to Know When the End Will Come

These words of our Lord were spoken at the very end of his earthly life, just a few days before his crucifixion.

His main point is that with his death and resurrection, the Old Covenant will end, and the New Covenant, the age of the Church, will begin.

This will be the last period of salvation history. In this period, God's saving grace will gradually spread throughout the world, and the powers of evil will desperately and unsuccessfully battle against it. And at the end of the age of the Church, Christ will return to bring all human history to its culmination.

Exactly when that will happen is shrouded in mystery; no one but the Father knows.

Jesus wants his Apostles to understand that it will occur and be ready for it at all times.

He finishes the discourse by saying: "Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come."

We do not know, because we do not need to know. God has seen fit to assure us that history has a purpose and will come to an end and that we should always keep this in mind.

Through the ages, many Christians have become obsessed with how and when this will occur, often neglecting the whole point of this datum of revelation.

It is enough for us to know that we are part of a story that has meaning and will come to a definitive end, such that the sun, moon, and stars will be darkened – the whole order of creation will be transformed.

At that time, we will receive compensation for how we carried out our role in the story. It's that simple, and it's that meaningful. (*)