Reflection on the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

November 18, 2018

Mark 13:24-32

…they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in the clouds’ with great power and glory… (Mk. 13:26)

The last book of the Bible is called the Book of Apocalypse. The Greek word “ apokalopsis ” means unveiling or revelation.  Thus, the 27th book of the New Testament is also known as the Book of Revelation. It is recognized as an “apocalypse” literature because the book unveils the future events, and usually, these are dramatic happenings at the end of the world. Our Gospel this Sunday is taken from Mark chapter 13, and this chapter is also known as the little “Apocalypse.”

Mark 13 speaks about the coming of the Son of Man. But, reading closely, we discover some distressing and even horrifying events that precede this glorious coming. The Temple of Jerusalem will be demolished, Jesus’ followers will endure severe persecution, and the sun, the moon, and other celestial bodies begin crumbling. This generation will be a terrible time to live.

For modern readers like us, our Gospel today does not sound optimistic at all. In fact, we may question whether it is a Good News of salvation or a nightmarish story that scares little children? For many of us who attend the Sunday mass faithfully, we listen to this little apocalypse at the end of every Church’s liturgical year. Thus, as we have heard it year after year, the story has lost its teeth, and we no longer pay attention to its details. After all, we are still alive and kicking.

However, the apocalypse literature has a different impact and meaning for the first Christians, the original readers of the Gospel of Mark. For the early Church, the apocalypse does not mean to be a horror story, but rather a message of hope.  The early Christians were a tiny minority in the vast Roman empire. Because they were firm in their conviction to worship one God, and refuse to worship Caesars and the Roman gods, they were continually subjects of harassment, persecution and even martyrdom. One of the most brutal persecutions of Christians was under the order of Emperor Nero. He blamed Christians for the fire that consumed parts of the City of Rome. He ordered Christians to be arrested and tortured. Some were fed to the wild beasts. Some were eaten by the hungry dogs. Others were burned at stick to light up the City at night.  In this time of desperation, Mark chapter 13 gave them the Gospel of hope. No matter what happened to Christians, whether it is discrimination, persecution, disaster, or even the end of the world, we are assured that it is God who is in control; He has the final word.

The mere fact we can read this reflection means that we are living in a much better time compared to the persecuted Christians. However, the message of the apocalyptic literature remains true to us and all Jesus’ followers through the ages. Facing daily challenges and toils, unexpected and unfortunate events, and various problems and complexities, we tend to shrink to ourselves, to be frustrated, and lose hope. More and more young people easily get depressed, and some, unfortunately, decide to end their lives. This happens, I believe, because we no longer know how to hope. In his book, Crossing the Threshold of Hope, St. John Paul II was asked whether the holy pope ever doubted his relationship with God, especially in these periods of trouble and difficulty. As a man of hope, his answer was simple yet powerful, “Be not afraid!” The Church should be the school that teaches her children to dare to hope, even hope against all hope, because in the end, God has the final word, and we should not be afraid.

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP