As we come to the end of the liturgical year, which happens next weekend with the celebration of Christ the King, we always have a Gospel passage which talks about the end times. When we look at the end times in the context of our faith, we are reminded that it is the closing of one age and the beginning of another age. In our first reading, we hear from Malachi, who is seen as the last prophet in the Old Testament. Malachi prophesied the coming of a Messiah and his forerunner, who would later be identified as John the Baptist in the New Testament. Malachi states in today’s reading: “For the day is coming now, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and the evil-doers will be like stubble. The day that is coming is going to burn them up…. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will shine out with healing in its rays…” The same word that is translated into rays in this reading is the Hebrew word for the four corners of the prayer shawl that the Jews wear. It was believed that the four corners of the prayer shawl of the Messiah would have healing virtue. You may recall the woman in Gospels who has a bleeding disorder who reaches out to touch the fringe of Jesus’ garment, believing that touching his garment would bring her healing. I find it interesting that this prophecy from Malachi alludes to God’s healing power in the end times for the righteous who follow his word and who believe in him, a contrast to those who do not believe who are doomed to destruction in the end times. My devotion and belief in the sacrament of healing that we have in the anointing of the sick is a big message I try to bring the faithful as a part of my service as a priest. It is God’s healing power that I bring in that sacrament, not my own power. We are going to offer the sacrament of the anointing of the sick today after the mass. If any of you would like this sacrament, just come to the front rows after mass and I will join you after greeting those who are leaving mass. As we all need healing in different ways in our lives, in body, mind, and spirit, any of you who feels you need healing in your life can partake in this sacrament.
From Luke's Gospel today, we hear a description of the destruction of the Temple and the signs of the persecutions to come. Each of the four Gospel writers have a prophecy and description of the end times to come, when a new age will dawn. Luke tells us that we should not be terrified of this time to come, that for believers, the coming end times and the time of destruction will be a time of opportunity for believers to bear testimony and witness. This is a good reminder for us as modern believers in Christ, for in the times we live in today, we have the opportunity to bear witness. We see so much going on in the world today, in politics, with the changing weather, with persecutions and other challenges as well. This is our time to bear witness to our Catholic faith. Jesus tells us in the Gospel that God will give us the words of witness that our adversaries will not be able to refute. God will give us the words to speak, those of us who are a part of the body of Christ in the Church. Just as touching Jesus’ prayer shawl brought healing to the woman with the bleeding disorder, we can be the voice of Jesus’ healing power in the world today. So many people in our modern world lash out in anger and in hurtful words, knowing that their actions and their words harm others. But, in contrast, we can be the ones who brings Christ’s healing message to the world. We have seen a lot of young families come into our Holy Savior parish lately. As you can see, we have been trying very hard, putting a lot of time, effort, and resources into reaching out to all of our parishioners, especially our families, children, youth, and college students. As the world changes, our testimony as Christians is of vital importance. We can manifest Christ’s glory, his ministry and his life in our own words and actions.
So, the point is not really trying to predict the end times to come. There is always some group trying to predict when the end of the world is to come. Most recently, popular on social media, there was a prediction that the world was going to end on September 25 of this year, and of course that did not happen. The point is the way that we can prepare and be witnesses of the faith in the world, to proclaim God’s kingdom in the present age.
In a couple of weeks, we will celebrate Thanksgiving, a time where when we as a nation and when we as Christians can show are thanks and gratitude in different ways. In a couple of weeks, we will begin the holy season of Advent, our time of preparation for the coming of the Lord, as he will come both in the end times and as a baby in the manger in Bethlehem. May we see the holy season of Advent not only as a time of preparation, but also as an opportunity for witness and testimony.
No comments:
Post a Comment