THIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

TAKE THE END OF THE WORLD SERIOUSLY
BE PRUDENT IN THIS PRESENT LIFE

First Reading: (Mal 3: 19-20): The end is coming,God will bestow universal salvation
Second Reading (2 Thess 3: 7-12): Do not loiter about, doing nothing
Gospel (Lk 21: 5-19): The disasters to come
Chinese classics:
-“Never having performed an unconscionable act in my life, knocking on the door in the middle of the night would not scare me.”(1)
-“Heaven and earth are the abode of all creation, days and nights are like passing travelers of a hundred generations. Life is like a dream. ”(2)
-“A leopard dies and leaves its skin behind, man dies and leaves his name behind.”(3)

“Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven... You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls.” (Lk 2l: 10-19)

“See, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble; the day that comes shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who revere my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings.” (Mal 4: 1-2)

The thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time is the second last Sunday of the liturgical year so is near the end of the church's liturgical year. The church uses this time of the year to invite us to meditate on one of the doctrines of the “Four Last Things,” that is, the doctrine of the 'end of the world'.

When Jesus preached he always began with life experience, and from actual life went on to his central theme. In this way people would have a concrete and deep impression of his doctrine. Moreover, in that way it was easier for people to link faith with daily life and put their faith into action.

At the time “when some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God” (Lk 21:5) all the people were expressing their awe. Jesus then reminded them: “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.” (Lk 21:6). Jesus was referring to the destruction of Jerusalem, a prophecy that came to pass in its entirety about forty years after Jesus' death and resurrection, i.e. around 70 A.D.

He also used the opportunity to remind his hearers that one day the whole world would be destroyed. At that time, wars, earthquakes, famine, plagues, dreadful portents and great signs would appear frequently. The faithful would be arrested and tortured, friendships and family relationships would change and disintegrate, and there would be mutual distrust, betrayal and assault.

These descriptions are the main source of Fundamentalist Christians who promote these materials to frighten people. Since the last century they have predicted the end of the world many times. In the past twenty or thirty years, the predictions have become more frequent and vivid. Many people think the new century (that is, the year 2000), would be the date for the end of the world! Hence, we must understand Jesus' words correctly.

The words of Scripture are usually very encouraging and contain positive meanings. When the authors write about the future life it is to help us live the present life as well as possible. When they speak of heaven above it is to help us appreciate life on earth and at the same time understand that 'we are in this world but not of this world.'

An example is when Paul speaks of sin in the Epistle to the Romans. Sin was not the main focus of his words. When he wrote of serious sins he sounded very disheartened. But actually what he wanted us to understand was the richness of God's salvific grace. So after he had thoroughly described the horror of sin, he added, “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.”(Rom 5:20). Behind the concept of sin the real point of Paul’s writing was “God's grace.”
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By the same token, the end of the world is not the main theme; the main theme is the emergence of the “new heaven and new earth” and the fulfillment of salvation. This is because when time and history, humankind and the world, come to an end, it means that God’s salvation is definitive and has been accomplished. All of humankind will go through a Passover, from death to life, from darkness to light, from perishable to imperishable. At that time “the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings.” (Mal 4: 1-2)

Actually the true meaning of the end of the world is to remind us beforehand that the day of salvation will come. It is not only a time of great calamity and the fearful day of final judgment. If those who are not believers may remain calm with an attitude of “Never performing an unconscionable act in my life, knocking at the door in the middle of the night would not frighten me,”(1) how much more so should we be the same, we who throughout our whole lives have believed in God, served and loved God and others, and have nothing to be ashamed of before God or human beings.

Is not the end of the world the time about which Paul said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness.” (2 Tim 4: 7-8) That is the beginning of eternal beatitude! Why should we be afraid?

In this world there is no lasting city, our home is in Heaven. As Li Bai wrote, “Heaven and earth are the abode of all creation, days and nights are like passing travelers of a hundred generations. Life is like a dream.(2) We should work hard to leave behind something of lasting value, merit that can last forever and remain in our own hearts and the hearts of others and be preserved eternally in the Kingdom of Heaven.

During the Five Dynasties Wang Yan Zhang was looked upon as an illiterate, uncivilized person. But he always said, “A leopard dies and leaves its skin behind, a man dies and leaves his name behind.”(3) Even a person who does not believe in eternal life wants to leave behind something of value. What effort should we make in order to prepare a place for ourselves in God's kingdom of heaven?

(1)平生不作虧心事，夜半敲門也不驚。
(2)夫天地者，萬物之逆旅，光陰者，百代之過客，而浮生若夢。
(3)豹死留皮，人死留名。