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33rd
Exegisis
The Lord shows us the path of life
Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Daniel 12:1-3; Psalms 16:5, 8-11;
Hebrews 10:11-14; Mark 13:24-32.
As the liturgical year draws to an end, the readings begin to focus on the
concept of the end time. In the Hebrew Scriptures, the longing of the
people was for the end of their oppression from foreign powers. In the New
Testament, the end time or paroousia refers to the end of this world and
the second coming of Christ when the faithful will enter the eternal
kingdom of the Father with Jesus.
Literature that was generated in times of oppression was sometimes called
crisis literature, and it was presented under the name of a person of
antiquity whose influence had been noteworthy.
Our first reading is under the name of Daniel, and the book consists of
six apocalyptic stories and four dream-visions that are expressed through
the signs and symbols. Those apocalypses (revelations) were meant to give
encouragement to pious Jews who suffered persecution and death under the
Greek domination of Antiochus Epiphanes (167-164 BCE).
The end time they longed for was the end of the conflict and triumph over
their aggressors in their lifetime. Michael, the special protector of the
Jews, would rise up to help them in the trials that would precede their
deliverance. Then follows the first clear reference to a resurrection in
the Hebrew Scriptures (Daniel 12:2-3). We notice that retribution was said
to be according to the goodness or wickedness of each person¹s life.
In the Gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke, there are short versions of the
signs that will come on earth and in the cosmos before the end, as well as
personal trials that will come upon the members of the church. Our Gospel
reading is part of the Markan text, and it describes those cataclysms as
birth pangs (Mark 13:8).
After the time of tribulation, cosmic disorders will appear, and then the
return of Jesus will take place with power and glory. The elect will be
gathered from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. Just as surely
as people generally recognize signs in nature such as the change of
seasons, just as surely will they be able to know from the signs Jesus
described that the end time is at hand. However, identifying the signs is
not without caution against false Christs and false prophets who will
attempt to lead even the elect astray (Mark 13:21-12).
The temporal space between the present time and the end time is sometimes
referred to as the "in-between-time." What do we and the Lord do
in our time of waiting for the parousia?
The Letter to the Hebrews says that when Christ had offered for all time
His redemptive act for sin, He sat at the right hand of God to wait until
His enemies should be made His footstool. Through the power of His
offering, the elect continue being perfected and sanctified for all time,
and thus they can be prepared to enter the heavenly kingdom.
With the Psalmist, we can look forward to the joy of the Lord¹s presence.
Our souls rejoice in the hope that leads us to eternal glory (Psalms 16).
(Sister Lillie is a member of the faculty at the
Athenaeum of Ohio in Cincinnati.)
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