A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (#51)
33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – November 16, 2003
I remember vividly how the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center affected me. I was watching the footage of the buildings collapsing and the terrible inferno of fire and confusion that ensued. I sat aghast, uncomprehending, and terrified. I said to myself, “This is the apocalypse now!” Indeed, there was sadness and tribulation for humanity. The sun was literally darkened for the hapless victims of that brutal, treacherous act. However, the catastrophe brought about by that evil attack began to dispel progressively as the power of goodness and solidarity began to take the upper hand. From the rubble of the 9/11 collapse sprang forth the heroism and courage of the American people. Indeed, the 9/11 events give us a glimpse of God’s final victory over the evil forces that assail the world relentlessly then and today.
The radical intervention of God to destroy the ultimate power of evil in the end-time is the theme of today’s Gospel reading (Mk 13:24-32), which is taken from the section on the coming of the Son of Man (Mk 13:24-27) as well as part of the following section on the exhortation to vigilance (Mk 13:28-37). The biblical scholar, Daniel Harrington, explains: “The Old Testament language of cosmic signs, the Son of Man, and ingathering has been blended together in a new context in which the eschatological coming of Jesus as the Son of Man is the key event. His glorious arrival at the eschaton will be the final proof of God’s victory; expectation of it serves as the basis for the patient endurance recommended throughout the discourse.” While the apocalyptic description, with its dark imagery of trials, tribulations, and turmoil is scary, there is also the note of consolation, which takes form in the glorious figure of the Son of Man, Jesus, coming in the clouds to gather his faithful and chosen ones from the four winds of the earth (Mk 13:26-27). The heart of this powerful apocalyptic device is the belief that God would one day intervene in a cataclysmic way to destroy evil and restore the fullness of life and abounding peace. Ultimately, the fearful specter of doom gives way to the hope of a new creation, where the sun will be darkened, the moon will lose its light, and the stars will fall before the splendor of the Son of Man (cf Rev 21:23).
The message of the second to the last Sunday of the liturgical year is a call to vigilance and watchfulness. With regards to the eschaton, Jesus asserted: “But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Mk 13:32). The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 6 explain: “That the Son does not know must not surprise us: he has put on human nature in its entirety – except for sin – and therefore also its limits. We are thus decisively shown that questions of date and time in our earthly way of reckoning are not taken into account in matters of salvation. It is sufficient for us to know with certainty that the Day of the Lord will come, and to commit ourselves to the Father with a deep attitude of faith and trust.” Indeed, to know the exact day or hour may satisfy our curiosity, but has no true importance for our salvation. What is important is to scrutinize the signs of salvation and fully participate in it. Learning a lesson from the fig tree that has sprouted tender leaves and would imminently bear fruit in the summer, we must live in an attitude of expectation for the imminent coming of the Lord. We must discern the progressive comings of Christ in the events of our personal lives, and in the life of the Church and the world. According to Harold Buetow: “What is important is today’s challenge to judge the times of our lives in terms of God’s ultimate realities. We’re to take part in an aspect of ongoing formation: the bringing of God’s justice, love and mercy to the entire human race. With a sense of urgency, we’re to prepare for death – or for the end of the world, whichever comes first – by working toward the realization of God’s plan.”
Finally, as Christian disciples, we must be people of expectation. The Jesuit scientist and theologian, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin asserts: “Expectation – that is perhaps the supreme Christian function and the most distinctive characteristic of our religion. Historically speaking, that expectation has never ceased to guide the progress of our faith like a torch… Christmas, which might have been thought to turn our gaze toward the past, has only fixed it further in the future. The Messiah, who appeared for a moment in our midst, only allowed himself to be seen and touched for a moment before vanishing again, more luminous and ineffable than ever, into the depths of the future… We Christians have been charged with keeping the flame of desire ever alive in the world… The flame must be revived at all costs. At all costs we must renew in ourselves the desire and the hope for the great coming.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART
A. Do we allow the negative elements of apocalyptic imagery to daunt and overwhelm us? Or, do we allow our hearts to be consoled by the image of the glorious Son of Man, coming on the clouds to gather his chosen and faithful ones from all over the earth?
B. Do we discern the sacred signs of the comings of the Lord in our lives? Are we watchful and prayerful, committing ourselves to the Day of the Lord with a deep attitude of faith and trust?
C. Do we continue to speculate as to the hour and modalities of the Lord’s second coming? Or, do we allow our faith to be inflamed by the expectation of the Lord’s coming?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD
Leader: The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light.
Assembly: But the Son of Man will come to be our splendor and light. He will be brighter than the sun and more resplendent than the moon. Darkness will give place to light.
Leader: The Son of Man will come in the clouds with great power and glory.
Assembly: He will gather the faithful and his chosen ones from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky.
Leader: “But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Mk 13:32)
Assembly: Lord, make us the people of expectation. Help us to incarnate in our lives this advent expectation. May we keep the flame of desire for the Lord’s coming alive by bringing God’s justice, love and mercy to a world darkened by sin and convulsed by evil forces.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.
“We will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory…He will gather his elect from the four winds…” (Mk 13:26-27)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION
A. ACTION PLAN: Close your eyes and, using your imagination, delve into the powerful imagery of the Lord’s second coming. Make a personal prayer based on this experience.
B. ACTION PLAN: Pray for the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attack and for all the victims of violence, war, and other cataclysmic events.
Prepared by Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang PDDM