Ordinary Time 33rd Sun C

Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading 1  Mal 3:19-20a
Responsorial Psalm  Ps 98:5-6, 7-8, 9
Reading 2  2 Thes 3:7-12
 Alleluia, alleluia.
Stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel  Lk 21:5-19

Wow!
That is one hair-raising Gospel.
But wait – embedded in all that mayhem there is an incredibly positive and upbeat message.
Let’s take it very seriously.
 
We are quickly coming to the final days of the Church year which will end in two weeks.  We are also nearing the end of the calendar year in six and a half weeks. For us at Portsmouth Abbey School, we are intensely aware that the last days of this academic year’s first semester is rapidly approaching.  That means exams to take, papers due and reports to finish – a time of great concentration and intensity.
 
Our Gospel today is taken from a chapter of Luke which is often called Jesus’ “eschatological discourse” because it deals with the eschata, a Greek word that means “last things”.
 
A discussion about the temple leads Jesus to speak some prophetic words. The temple, he says, will be destroyed and other catastrophic events like wars, insurrections and natural disasters will come. There will be powerful earthquakes famines and plagues. Mighty signs will come from the sky. He details all this in the most dramatic language imaginable.
 
Perhaps end-of-term examinations are not quite that spectacular, but they are not insignificant either.  We all agree that these last days of the term are ones of great demand and challenge.  We really ought to understand them as an “end-of-time” event the Lord has given us to face right here and right now. Keep in mind that all endings are the fulfillment of all that has gone before – in our case studies. 
 
Jesus speaks of great confidence and assurance for those who remain faithful at times of fulfillment like these. He puts it this way: not a hair on their head would be destroyed.  He emphasizes a time like this, not as one of disaster, but as one of great opportunity; “It will lead to your giving testimony.”
 
Furthermore, he tells us “You are not to prepare … beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking…”.  (Now don’t try this in your exams next week!)
 
Rather let’s dig a little deeper into the meaning of Jesus’ words.
 
We too often picture biblical narratives as remote events having little to do with us. But in order to understand Jesus’ messages we need to bring his ideas into the context in which we are placed right now by God.
 
We are not witnessing earthquakes and disasters here and now at Portsmouth Abbey School.  No signs and portents are coming out of the skies. But we are entering a week of striving that will challenge most of us to our limits. Let’s not downplay or minimize the challenges we face.
 
 So given the situation, what is the “testimony” we’re supposed to give?
 
Remember, Jesus said: “… I myself shall give you a wisdom…”  We are all familiar with the saying “Actions speak louder than words”. We know that we all communicate far more plainly by our actions than by anything we might say. May I propose something you might not have thought of ?  Perhaps the testimony Jesus expects of us is more in our actions than in our words.
 
The point of Jesus’ words for us here and now is this.  During a time of great intensity like exam week, even the smallest acts of kindness, gestures of thoughtfulness, stand out in particularly bold relief.  They have far greater effect.  Our behavior becomes something we might call creative conduct.
 
When we act this way we enhance the goodness both in ourselves and before God.  The divine goodness latent in Him becomes an active power, a creative force.  This is what the Lord means when he speaks of us as “salt” that has not lost its flavor.
 
Divine goodness expresses itself through us when we are open God’s direction.  It radiates from us. We are the “lamp” set on a stand which lights everything around.  Our acts of unselfishness and encouragement become a dynamic force that moves those around us.  People are reminded of their own capabilities for good.  Our efforts have an effect far beyond what we imagine because they are carried forward by the Holy Spirit.    
 
Today’s gospel reminds us that endings with God are never the end; the end is another beginning. One thing only will last, our life with God, a life that begins here and now in this life, and which is nourished through the sacraments, prayer and especially at times like this, in good works.