33rd Sunday of
Ordinary Time—B2009
Mark 13: 24-32
Deacon Lee Hunt (St. Monica)
There was a terrible flood. As water began filling the street, a
man was asked to evacuate with others on a truck, but he wasnÕt ready. As the
water rose, the man went into his house. When a boat came along he was invited
to join the others, but he said that he would ride out the flood in his house.
Near the height of the flood, a helicopter tried to pick him from his roof, but
he said he was not ready to go. The man died and when he got to heaven he asked
God why He didnÕt save him. God replied that he had tried three times. The man
was so in control of his present life that he was not prepared for his after
life.
The Church is near completing its liturgical year, which focuses
on the Gospel of Mark. Early in January we heard Mark tell of the first coming
of Jesus and his baptism in the Jordan by John the Baptist. With only two
Sundays left in the liturgical year, today we hear Mark telling about JesusÕ Second
Coming.
Describing JesusÕ Second Coming is not easy even for a gospel
writer for at least two reasons. First Mark is trying to describe God, who is a
mystery, with human words. And secondly, Mark is trying to describe something
that is coming in the future. With 2,000 years of experience, even we are at a
loss for words.
For us to understand Mark is most difficult because he is writing
to a very different cultural community compared to ours. The people of that
time were thinking negatively
and wondering about the end time because they were under stress and
persecution. MarkÕs ultimate message to his community and ours is that only the
Father knows when end-time events will happen. Therefore, since we do not know
either, it is important that we be watchful and stay alert, like the man in the
flood should have done.
The first half of the gospel reading, and the Old Testament
reading from the Book of Daniel, are apocalyptic literature that was used in
the times of persecution before and after the life of Jesus. This type of
literature was coded so that the persecutors could not determine its true meaning.
When I reread these passages, I certainly hoped to find a code for todayÕs
homily. It helps to know that the first half of the gospel reading consists of prophetic passages from Isaiah, Ezekiel,
and Joel that used cosmic images trying to express the inexpressible about God.
When I teach a college course on the Gospel of Mark we spend a
couple hours on todayÕs Gospel passage. We talk about the times of MarkÕs
community 30 years after Jesus died. This community had been, was being, and
would be persecuted. Persecution goes on today in the Church. Think of Oscar
Romero and Stanley Rother, recent martyrs in Central America. People who lived
there and who supported the poor quickly were made to disappear by the ruling
class.
Sometimes we
associate the end times with terrible things to come. But, listen to the hope
given in the second half of the Gospel reading. The fig tree
portion is a parable that speaks of new life: the budding of a tree. The
emphasis is not on the end but on the beginning: ÒKnow that He is near, at the
gates.Ó
Imposters have predicted and continue to predict the time of
JesusÕ Second Coming, but with no success. Wars and natural disasters are all
part of history. They come and go and they are predictors only of more
that will come later. However, there will be an end
time. And it behooves all of us to be prepared.
Christians of the first century thought that JesusÕ Second Coming from
Heaven to Earth would be within their lifetime. Here we are 2,000 year later
and still waiting. God has given us a lot of time since the resurrection. We
have had personal, world, and church tragedies that sometimes make us anxious
for Christ's quick return. For some mysterious reason he hasn't come and we continue
to wait. While we wait we keep watch for him in our daily lives. As we apply
ourselves to the tasks he has left us to do, we invite him to enter into our
efforts and bless them with his presence. We want to do what he would do and in
the way he would do it. He is coming, yet he is already here. We
live in these two realities.
So the message is clear: if no one knows ÒwhenÓ the end time will
happen, we had better be prepared! Is there
someone in our life whom we still refuse to forgive? Is our prayer life only
lukewarm and sporadic? Are there other ÒhabitsÓ we need to reverse and replace
with virtues, right now?
JesusÕ Second Coming does not have to ÒscareÓ us; rather, it is
Good News! Jesus promises to come again, and he is giving us ample warning and
daily opportunities to amend our lives. He leaves the choice to us. The ball is
in our park.
Di‡cono Lee Hunt
Hubo
una inundaci—n terrible. Cuando el agua empezaba a llenar la calle, se le pidi—
a un hombre que saliera con otros en la troca, pero Žl no estaba listo. Durante
una inundaci—n terrible, cuando las calles empezaban a llenarse de agua, un hombre
no quiso desalojar su casa. El
agua sub’a y sub’a.
Cuando un barco lleg—, lo invitaron a
irse con los otros, pero Žl dijo que aguantar’a la inundaci—n dentro de su
casa. Cuando el agua ya hab’a inundado casi todo el pueblo, un helic—ptero
trat— de rescatarlo del techo de su casa, pero dijo que no estaba listo para
irse. El hombre muri— y cuando lleg— al cielo le pregunt— a Dios por quŽ no lo
hab’a salvado. Dios le contest— que hab’a tratado de salvarlo tres veces. El
hombre estaba tan al control de su vida del presente que no estaba preparado
para la venida de ultratumba.
Al comenzar Žste a–o litœrgico, San Marcos nos habl—
de la primera venida de Jesœs y su bautismo en el Jord‡n. Con dos domingos que quedan el a–o
litœrgico, San Marcos nos habla de la segunda venida de Jesœs.
A veces asociamos los œltimos d’as con cosas horribles que van a
ocurrir. Pero escuchen y oigan la esperanza que se da en la segunda parte de la
lectura del evangelio. La parte de la higuera es una par‡bola que habla de vida
nueva: el brotar de las hojas. El Žnfasis no se da al final, sino al principio:
ÒSepan que ƒl est‡ cerca, a las puertas.Ó
Impostores han predicho y siguen prediciendo la hora de la segunda
venida de Jesœs, pero sin Žxito. Las guerras y los desastres naturales son
parte de la historia. Van y vienen y son predicciones solamente de m‡s que
vendr‡n m‡s tarde. Sin embargo, habr‡ un fin del mundo. Y nos
corresponde a todos estar preparados.
Los cristianos del primer siglo cre’an que la segunda venida de Jesœs
del cielo ser’a durante sus vida. Aqu’ estamos, dos mil a–os m‡s tarde y
todav’a estamos esperando. Dios nos ha dado mucho tiempo desde su resurrecci—n.
Hemos tenido tragedias personales, mundiales, y tragedias en la iglesia que a
veces nos ponen ansiosos por que Jesœs regrese r‡pido. Por alguna raz—n
misteriosa Jesœs no ha venido y seguimos esperando. Mientras esperamos, lo
vigilamos en nuestras vidas diarias. Tal y como nos aplicamos a los quehaceres
que Jesœs nos ha dejado para hacer, lo invitamos que entre en nuestros
esfuerzos y nos bendiga con su presencia. Queremos hacer lo que Jesœs har’a y
de una manera que ƒl lo har’a. ÒEl s’ vendr‡, pero, aœn, ya est‡
aqu’. Nosotros vivimos en estas dos realidades.
As’ es que, el mensaje es claro: si nadie sabe Òel cuandoÓ del fin del
mundo, m‡s vale que estemos preparados. ÀHay alguien en nuestras
vidas que todav’a nos negamos a perdonar? ÀSon nuestras oraciones tibias e
irregulares? ÀHay vicios que necesitamos reemplazar por virtudes, ahora mismo?
La segunda venida de Jesœs no debe espantarnos; m‡s bien, Áes Buena
Nueva! Jesœs promete regresar, y nos est‡ dando suficiente aviso y
oportunidades diarias para modificar nuestras vidas. Jesœs nos deja escoger. A
nosotros nos toca dar el siguiente paso.