Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
November 14, 2021
Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 158
Reading I
In those days, I Daniel,
heard this word of the Lord:
"At that time there shall arise
Michael, the great prince,
guardian of your people;
it shall be a time unsurpassed in distress
since nations began until that time.
At that time your people shall escape,
everyone who is found written in the book.
“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."
Responsorial Psalm
- (1) You are my inheritance, O Lord!
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!
Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
my body, too, abides in confidence;
because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,
nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!
Reading II
Brothers and sisters:
Every priest stands daily at his ministry,
offering frequently those same sacrifices
that can never take away sins.
But this one offered one sacrifice for sins,
and took his seat forever at the right hand of God;
now he waits until his enemies are made his footstool.
For by one offering
he has made perfect forever those who are being consecrated.
Where there is forgiveness of these,
there is no longer offering for sin.
Alleluia
- Alleluia, alleluia.
Be vigilant at all times
and pray that you have the strength to stand before the Son of Man.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples:
"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.
"Learn a lesson from the fig tree.
When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves,
you know that summer is near.
In the same way, when you see these things happening,
know that he is near, at the gates.
Amen, I say to you,
this generation will not pass away
until all these things have taken place.
Heaven and earth will pass away,
but my words will not pass away.
"But of that day or hour, no one knows,
neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."
Reflection: THE SECOND COMING OF THE LORD
Today, the last but one Sunday before we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King that completes the Ordinary Sundays of the liturgical life, the readings are about the uncertainties of 'end days! “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” No better and authoritative statement can be made than the word of God just quoted about the end times. The most salutary thing for us human beings is that we do not know the day and the hour of the end times. Otherwise, human beings will control even that! The drive to be immortal: The world is trying to remove mortality from the face of the earth. We know that it is an impossible task. But still we try hard to postpone death as far as we can. The medical profession has as its goal to try to keep the patient alive as long as they can. The longer they keep the person alive the successful they are. This is not belittling medical profession. It is to reflect on the inner drive to remain alive or to become immortal. Christians used to pray for a happy death: Contrary to the present modern spirit of keeping alive by hook or by crook, Christian spirituality has been helping people to prepare for the day of reckoning, which begins with our death and makes us forward to a life with God and the second coming of the Son of Man. One of the theologians made a very insightful statement: 'Atheism is not the denial of God but the denial of afterlife!' How true it is when we begin to think deeply through. Trusting in God: The best way to prepare for the end of days, the second coming of the Son of Man, is not to live in fear and anxiety. That will not help us in anyway. It will only make things worse. God created us to be happy and all the time we are unhappy thinking about the uncertainty of the last days. We need to trust God for He created everything and saw that it was good and be sure that the final end will also be good. We believe in God who is goodness and mercy personified. The second reading concludes contrasting the sacrifice of the High Priest with the priest who offer sacrifices thus: "For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy”! The sacrifice of Calvary cannot be underestimated! He has won death for ever and the evil can never prevail over his children. Let us pray with the psalmist: Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.