OMELIE / Omelie EN

17 nov 2019

17/11/2019 – 33rd Sunday in O. T. Year C

17/11/2019 – 33^rd Sunday in O. T. Year C

Reading 1 MAL 3,19-20 * Psalm 97 * Reading 2 2THES 3,7-12 * Gospel LK 21,5-19

Getting closer to the end of the liturgical year is becoming almost natural to meditate on the moment that is bringing us closer to the goal of our existence, to the finishing line, and therefore to the conclusion of what we have seen and enjoyed along the way.

The occasion to talk about this future is given to Jesus by the conversations He can hear in the courts of the temple of Jerusalem. This temple was a magnificent work of art, a marvel to everyone's eyes. Like all beautiful and good things, the temple also was becoming a temptation: the temptation to boast about it forgetting to lift the eyes to God and obey Him, so to pay attention to His true image, the man who is walking beside us, even if he is poor and sick.

Jesus wants to help His listeners not to let themselves be seduced, tricked and confused. All things in this world will disappear, even the most beautiful ones. All beautiful things are still earthly things, which are destined to perish. Even the works of art by the most famous people will be destroyed either by time or by men's actions. Even the buildings we offer God are subject to this law, and therefore they do not have to occupy the mind and the heart of whom are and want to be God's.

Jesus continues His teaching looking at the centuries to come, those we are also leaving. Even if we are able to build great, beautiful and useful works, we will find sufferings so severe to test our attachment to God. Natural catastrophies, wars between peoples, hatred towards the name of Jesus: these realities are and will always be there until this world will end. The Christians find themselves in the middle. They need to be ready to face these things, therefore they learn to look at the beautiful things in the world with some distance.

Jesus stops particularly to consider His disciples' difficulties. They will be tempted by fake messiahs, who will try to attract towards themselves their attention and so focus on themselves instead of God their faith. It is necessary to be firm, decisive and well learned in order not to fall in these fake messiahs' traps, who will always find new ways to seduce the faithful. It is necessary then that our faith would not be gullibility, and so that we learn in a way to be able to give an explanation for those doubts we ourselves have, and for those that are coming from new situations we find ourselves in. It is necessary to know who we can turn to to find clear answers and not to find ourselves confused or uncertain. Jesus even says: “many will come in my name…”, many! These “many” nowadays do not only come in person, knocking on our door, but also through spread mentalities, beliefs offered during gymnastic classes, music classes, medicine, dance classes and so on, or through articles in newspapers or famous people on television or in sport. “Do not follow them”. Jesus is clear and firm.

The same decision must be in front of us when facing wars or natural disasters: discouragement, desperation, excessive sadness are not the reactions coming from whom knows that the world is going to end and us all are awaited by God the Father. Not even the big injustices of which the believers are subject because of their faith and their decisions that are against those of the world, not even these should scare us. We do not have to prepare words in our defense, we do not have to find lawyers for ourselves: the words coming from our wits are going to be useless. Jesus Himself can suggest us behaviours and words that will give testimony to Him. The important thing will not be avoiding suffering, but continuing to give testimony for our Saviour, so others will know Him and will be helped to welcome Him.

Saint Paul adds another instruction: knowing that everything is going to end we do not have to relax making no effort at all, not even socially or politically. The believer is always cooperating with God to build an orderly and peaceful world, with their work and their daily tasks too. He who does not work is a weight for others and disqualifies the Church in front of the world. “Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives!” says the Lord.

In a world that is entangled in injustice, the believer lives in a different way: the judgment will come for him too, the prophet Malachi reminds us.

Even knowing of the possibility of a punishment, we remain on guard and we keep busy, not because of fear, but because of love, love for the Lord Jesus and His Church, because of love for the Father, who will welcome us in the end together with those who we will have helped with our example to stay firm in their faith.