Thirty-third Sunday of Ordinary Time

Father Steven Bankemper

Guest

The readings of this 33rd Sunday in year C of the Church’s liturgical year are shadowed by the idea of endings: the “Day of the Lord” in the first reading, the “end times” in the second, and the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in the Gospel. One thing that is interesting about all three of these readings is that there is nothing anyone can do about these endings, and the speakers – Malachi, Paul and Jesus – offer no solutions or remedies for them. There is, quite simply, nothing anyone can do to avoid or stop the Day of the Lord, the end times, or the difficulties of living an authentic Christian life, including the seeming destruction of even those things we have held most dear to us in the Church.

To say that there is nothing one can do to stop or avoid these things, however, is not to say that there is nothing we can or should do when they happen. In fact, the speakers in all three readings give clear advice, and their messages are remarkably similar. Malachi prophecies that while the Day of the Lord will be destruction for “all the proud and all evildoers,” for those who fear God’s name the day will bring the rising of “the sun of justice with its healing rays.” In the Old Testament, to “fear God’s name” means to show deep reverence, awe, and respect for God. It is not fear of punishment, but a profound recognition of God’s power, holiness and sovereignty, which motivates a person to live in a way that is pleasing to Him. Paul, responding, in the opinion of many biblical scholars, to the attitude that some in the church of Thessalonica had, that since the end times were near or already upon them, they no longer had to work, exhorts them not to live in idleness, but to imitate him, Paul, who when he was with them worked “night and day.” In the line that follows what we hear at Mass, Paul urges them: “Brethren, do not be weary in well-doing.” And in today’s Gospel, Jesus’ advice to his disciples is not to prepare for coming persecutions, but simply to persevere in faith and trust.

The Church echoes these sentiments in the prayers of the Mass today, especially the Collect. In this prayer that “collects” and sums up the opening rites of the Mass, the Church prays that God may grant us the “constant gladness of being devoted to you,” for “it is full and lasting happiness to serve with constancy the author of all that is good.”

As we face our own troubles in both the world and the Church, let us remember the words we hear today and strive not to let ourselves be worried or shaken. Let us stay close to God, living a life devoted to God, persevering in serving him through Jesus, in the strength the Holy Spirit gives us. Let us strive to remain constant in our devotion to God and trust Him to guide us in what to say and do.

And let us help each other to do this.

Father Stephen Bankemper is pastor, St. Catherine of Siena Parish, Ft. Thomas, Ky.