33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B
As we come to the last days of the Catholic Church’s liturgical calendar, our readings sound apocalyptic as they remind us of the end times and the second coming of Christ. They also instruct us on what we should pay attention to and what to do.
In the First Reading from the Book of the Prophet Daniel, chapter 12, verse 1 to 3, we are reminded of the glory and rewards that awaits those who have lived a good life and the horror and disgrace that awaits those who didn’t as it states, “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake; some shall live forever, others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace. But the wise shall shine brightly like the splendor of the firmament, and those who lead the many to justice shall be like the stars forever.”
Today’s Responsorial Psalm, Psalm 16 while urging us to be glad, to rejoice in our Lord and to abide in His confidence; because He will not abandon our souls to the netherworld, nor allow us to suffer or undergo corruption, reminds us that God is our inheritance, and our allotted portion, who will show us the path to life, fullness of joys in His presence, and the delights at His right hand forever.
Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Gospel reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark, chapter 13, verse 24 to 32, while urging us to be ready to face our judgment for we know not the day nor the hour when we will be called from this life, describes the events of the last days saying, “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 the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in the clouds’ with great power and glory, and then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky.”
My dear friends, how are we preparing ourselves and waiting on the coming of Christ on judgment day? Do we even desire to see the face of Christ and live with Him forever in heaven? Are we ready to encounter God if He calls us today to be with Him?
It is a well known fact that we live in an age of uncertainty, as the future looks strange, bleak and unpredictable. But it is still our duty to prepare ourselves for the second coming of Christ so as to be able to see him face-to-face, and live forever with Him in heaven. How are we preparing ourselves for the second coming of Christ or for judgment day? We can prepare ourselves for the second coming of Christ or judgment day by truly understanding and accepting the Word of God proclaimed and explained to us; by sincerely following Christ in word and deeds; and by continually praising and honoring God all the days of our lives. So let us be inspired and encouraged by the words of Jesus in today’s gospel reading to be confident, hopeful and joyful, by being watchful and prayerful, because we do not know the day nor the hour the Son of Man will come.
