Homily for November 19, 2006

By Fr. Stephen Jarrell

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

 

INTRODUCTION

A.     Here is one of comedian Henny Youngman’s famous doctor jokes.

  1. A doctor gave a man six months to live.
  2. The man couldn’t pay his bill, so the doctor gave him another six months.

 

B.     We all push off death.

  1. Even if a doctor says we have only six months to live, we don’t really believe it.
  2. There can always be a miracle. Right?
  3. If you really want to know the day of your death, there is a Web site called Deathclock.
  4. You enter your birthdate, temperament and vital statistics and it calculates the exact day of your death.

 

APOCALYPSE NOW

A.     As we approach the end of the liturgical year, we are invited to think about our death and the end times.

B.     We are presented with two apocalyptic readings today—from the Book of Daniel and the Gospel of Mark.

  1. Characteristic of apocalyptic readings, they describe the end times.
  2. The language can be a bit scary.
  3. “It shall be a time unsurpassed in distress” (Daniel 12).
  4. Jesus (Mk. 13) puts it this way: “In those days of 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 heaven will be shaken.”

 

C.     We should keep in mind that apocalyptic literature in the bible seeks to help us address the present time in light of the end time.

  1. Powerful imagery and scary language is used to shake us up enough to get us to make necessary changes in our lives.
  2. Are we frittering away our time on what “rust or moth will destroy?”
  3. Modern life has much to distract us—keeping us from examining the course of our lives that will have an impact on our eternal future.

 

D.     Apocalyptic stories are ultimately designed to offer us hope.

  1. When the Book of Daniel was written, the Jews were being oppressed by the Greeks.
  2. It was a crime to practice the faith, and many Jews were put to death.
  3. The author of Daniel encourages the people to remain faithful and promises them life forever (earliest reference to the resurrection of the dead).
  4. In the Gospel, Jesus promises his disciples that he will come with power and glory and will gather the elect to himself.
  5. These were certainly reassuring words to St. Mark’s church community as they faced the persecutions of the Roman emperor Nero.
  6. So, these apocalyptic readings are ultimately designed to offer us words of hope.

 

E.      Many have seen their world collapse.

  1. When a loved one dies much too young.
  2. When a job is suddenly terminated.
  3. When an affliction takes away good health and vigor.
  4. When a loved one walks away from a relationship.
  5. Donald Rumsfeld can now talk about his own world collapsing.
  6.  But the good news is this—following the collapse of our world, God will come with power to rescue us if we let him!

 

 

CONCLUSION

A.     Life is a journey through changing worlds and passing stages.

  1. Life is sometimes frightening, sometimes traumatic.
  2. Life is always difficult and challenging.

 

B.     But when our world collapses and passes away, we are given this promise.

  1. God will be with us to save us.
  2. We will survive.