33rd Sunday Year B - Homily 5

Homily 5 - 2021

In today’s Gospel, Jesus, true Jew that he was, broke into a way of speaking that was familiar to his contemporaries, but totally foreign to us — what Scripture scholars today label “apocalyptic language”: highly imaginative scenarios, graphic images, a kind of code language. Today’s passage, the concluding part of a much longer discourse, is an example. Looking to what was still future to them, he talked about “the sun darkening, the moon losing its brightness, the powers of heaven being shaken”. [It was the sort of language that the evangelists briefly used to comment on the meaning of Jesus’ death. Remember how they wrote that, as Jesus was hanging on the cross, “darkness came over the whole earth”, “graves were opened”, etc.]

Good news or bad news? At least, it was saying that something momentous was happening.

Today’s passage continued: “They will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory”. [During his trial before the High Priest, Jesus said that the High Priest would “see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven”. When? Apparently as Jesus was dying — Jesus wasn’t around after that for the High Priest to see.]

What was he talking about now in today’s passage? Apocalyptic language again to refer to something momentous about to happen that, whatever it might involve for the High Priest, would be good news for disciples of Jesus: “The Son of Man … will send the angels to gather his chosen from the four winds”. We are in the position now to realise that he was talking about the incredible change wrought to the whole world by Jesus’ saving death and resurrection. Jesus’ death and resurrection ushered in the Kingdom of God, and eternal life.

Is life in the world different since Jesus lived, died and rose? Partly, I suppose. But the problem is that most of the world has taken little notice of what he came to teach us by his life, and to exemplify particularly by his death. Essentially, Jesus came to teach that the key to experiencing the Kingdom is that people genuinely respect and love each other, even their enemies. Jesus did. He faced death as the price for his insistence. But though we claim to be his disciples, we tend to fall short of his central teaching.

Pope Francis has asked Christians everywhere to observe this Sunday as World Day for the Poor. He introduced the observance five years ago. For whatever reasons, I took little, if any, notice. But on Friday, I read the message he addressed this year to the Church everywhere. The whole message calls out to be pondered. I shall read to you now one fascinating paragraph, among many:

“The poor have much to teach us. …they know the suffering Christ through their own sufferings. ... We are called to discover Christ in them, to lend them our voice in their causes, but also to be their friends, to listen to them, to understand them and to welcome the mysterious wisdom that God wants to communicate to us through them.

Our commitment does not consist exclusively of activities or programmes of promotion and assistance. What the Holy Spirit mobilises is … above all an attentiveness that considers the other in a certain sense as one with ourselves. This loving attentiveness is the beginning of a true concern for their person which inspires [us] effectively to seek their good.”

I need a lot more time to let the whole message soak in.