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33RD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME: YR. C
Courage and Strength!
During the fall of the year, the time of harvest, an end-time for farmers, Mother Church has us read about a concept found in Biblical times: “The Day of the Lord.” “Lo, the day is coming,” we hear at the beginning of the first reading. [Mal.3:19] The prophet issues a warning to the proud and wicked and directs a word of encouragement to those who fear the Lord. In the New Testament, “The Day of the Lord” relates to Christ’s second coming. The Lord could come at a moment we least expect, therefore, we must be on alert.
Alertness is good and necessary. Jesus’ words in today’s gospel are His battle cry, spoken to encourage us. The imminent destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem will be a lasting reminder to us, His disciples, that all good things of this world must come to an end, save only His ever-abiding love in which we hope to rest. The Lord’s foretelling of Christians’ persecution and/or sufferings to come have also come true in every era and in every place the Gospel of Christ has been proclaimed, such as when Christians are ridiculed for promoting human dignity and life of the unborn.
The challenges of Christian living are real but Jesus’ consolation to Christians amid them is that “not a hair of your head will perish.” The sun of righteousness will shine with healing in its wings on all those who are faithful to the Lord. For our part, we must decide whether we will retreat and hide or enter the battle for the salvation of souls. You may ask veterans; soldiers don’t complain about their food on a battlefield. The world is our battlefield for our spiritual warfare.
Satan, whom the Lord calls “ruler of the world,” [Jn.14:30], is “prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour,” [1 Pet 5:8]. But Jesus assures us that God will intervene. So, “stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand,” - the Alleluia verse [Lk.21”28].
Therefore, during the burdens we bear and sorrows we share, we must muster courage and keep strongly pressing on, patiently praying and always on guard against false cultural values and deceptive teachings. By our perseverance as children of God, we shall secure everlasting life. “The endurance of darkness is the preparation for great light,” says St. John of the Cross. The core of this Sunday’s message is: “Be on alert.” Be honest. And even when we must suffer in the present world, we must remember what Christ said: “by your perseverance you will secure our lives,” we save our souls as the objective of our spiritual battle. Jesus promises great vindication to those who persevere in the life to come.