Saturday, November 13, 2010
33RD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – C
33RD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – C
MALACHI 3:19-20
'For look, the Day is coming, glowing like a furnace. All the proud
and all the evil-doers will be the stubble, and the Day, when it
comes, will set them ablaze, says Yahweh Sabaoth, leaving them neither
root nor branch. But for you who fear my name, the Sun of justice will
rise with healing in his rays, and you will come out leaping like
calves from the stall.
SECOND THESSALONIANS 3:7-12
You know how you should take us as your model: we were not
undisciplined when we were with you, nor did we ever accept food from
anyone without paying for it; no, we worked with unsparing energy,
night and day, so as not to be a burden on any of you. This was not
because we had no right to be, but in order to make ourselves a model
for you to imitate. We urged you when we were with you not to let
anyone eat who refused to work. Now we hear that there are some of you
who are living lives without any discipline, doing no work themselves
but interfering with other people's. In the Lord Jesus Christ, we urge
and call on people of this kind to go on quietly working and earning
the food that they eat.
LUKE 21:5-19
When some were talking about the Temple, remarking how it was adorned
with fine stonework and votive offerings, he said, 'All these things
you are staring at now -- the time will come when not a single stone
will be left on another; everything will be destroyed.' And they put
to him this question, 'Master,' they said, 'when will this happen,
then, and what sign will there be that it is about to take place?' But
he said, 'Take care not to be deceived, because many will come using
my name and saying, "I am the one" and "The time is near at hand."
Refuse to join them. And when you hear of wars and revolutions, do not
be terrified, for this is something that must happen first, but the
end will not come at once.' Then he said to them, 'Nation will fight
against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great
earthquakes and plagues and famines in various places; there will be
terrifying events and great signs from heaven. 'But before all this
happens, you will be seized and persecuted; you will be handed over to
the synagogues and to imprisonment, and brought before kings and
governors for the sake of my name -and that will be your opportunity
to bear witness. Make up your minds not to prepare your defense,
because I myself shall give you an eloquence and a wisdom that none of
your opponents will be able to resist or contradict. You will be
betrayed even by parents and brothers, relations and friends; and some
of you will be put to death. You will be hated universally on account
of my name, 18 but not a hair of your head will be lost. Your
perseverance will win you your lives.
REFLECTION
One of the most important questions that frighten people today is when
and how the end of the world will come about. This interest in knowing
about the end of the world is as old as Christianity.
When Jesus spoke about the destruction of the magnificent temple of
Jerusalem, his contemporaries thought that he was referring to the end
of the world. And so they asked, "When will this happen?" When Jesus
spoke of trials and tribulations prior to the destruction, his
listeners thought that at the end of the world, the sky would fall,
the sun would burst, the moon would disintegrate, plunging the world
into a total overhaul. But was this the big question that Jesus was
concerned about, as he spoke about the destruction of the temple and
which we Christians should be worrying about today?
We will be well prepared if we try to live our Christian life well and
to the full every day. If we regularly water the seeds of love that
Jesus has already planted; if we pass on to others the light of faith
that has already been lit; if we act as yeast that Jesus has already
put in the dough, in order to ferment the world with Gospel values;
and if we serve the world as its salt which he called us to be, to
preserve the world from every corruption. All this means that we can't
sit down doing nothing, just waiting for the end time. It means that
we need to keep ourselves always busy. in order to hasten the coming
of God's kingdom.
But such an active waiting for the end calls for patient endurance
because not only problems are part of everyday life, but we who walk
with Christ should also be ready even to lose our life. However, every
Christian must be convinced that by patient endurance he will save his
life, that by holding on to faith even when trials arrive blazing like
an oven fire, he or she will see the sun of justice arise for him with
its healing rays; That by holding on to hope, though we be crushed by
the gigantic forces of evil, we will triumph over them to rise with
Christ, And that by holding on to love at every crisis, which we may
confront in our life, we will come through our ordeals even stronger
in spirit than ever before.
This is the Christian program of preparation to face the end of time.
Hence the big question that we Christians need to keep asking
ourselves is not when or how the world will end, but how well prepared
are we to face the end of life's journey.
ln today's gospel reading, we have the assurance of Jesus himself that
if we are united to him, we will be victorious. Nothing will defeat
us. This is the good news contained in today's scripture readings. We
will have nothing to fear when Jesus himself appears at the end of
time on clouds of glory.
On the contrary, we will have every reason to rejoice. Look well,
therefore, to this day. Indeed, the time is at hand, and yes, the time
is now.
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Deacon Joe Nicholas
- Belen Agoncillo
- Lydia, Kevin Francis Christian, Kwai and Godofredo Pe
- Susan
… for the personal intentions of
- Cecilia San Juan, Alvin Herrera
- Cherie Torres
- Josheil Dapo
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Eunice Pascual
- Birthday: Melinda P. Suyosa
- Wedding Anniversary: Robert & Catherine Dy
- Prayer Intention: Dolores Tan
- In Memoriam (+): Celestino Leaño
- In Memoriam (+): Mercedes P. Salgado
- In Memoriam (+): Maria See Co. (Mar 23, 1916-Nov 14, 2007)+
- In Memoriam (+): Choa Thian Siu (Jan 21, 1913-Nov 14-1983)+
… for world peace and reconciliation.
Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers
and for those who need our prayers the most.
Have a good day!
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