Homily for the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B Daniel 12:1-3/Psalm 16/ Hebrews 10:11-14, 18/Mark 13:24-32 Theme: Eschatology presupposes judgment

Christianity is eschatological from beginning to end. Eschatology is that branch of theology that deals with the last or final things namely Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell. The entire salvation history and our entire lives are oriented towards ultimate fulfillment in Christ who will recapitulate everything in himself. We are an eschatological people. That means we are marching towards Christ who was not only in the beginning (“In the beginning was the Word.” John 1:1), but towards Christ who awaits us in the end ("I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” Revelation 1:8). The first reading and the gospel invite us to discover the signs of the coming of a new world. The second reading compares the priesthood of Christ with that of the Old Covenant in which Jesus, the High Priest, has offered once and for all the sacrifice that has wrought our salvation. The gospel reading reminds us that the end times will be preceded by deception. So deceptive will be these miracles that even the elect will be tempted to believe their lies. Of themselves, miracles are not a proof of divine calling and approval (Deuteronomy 13:1-5). The final test is the Word of God. Jesus did not want his disciples to get involved in the prophecies of the future that they will neglect the responsibilities of the present. As Christian believers today, we are not looking for "signs" of his coming. But we depend on his unchanging "Word" the sure Word of his prophecy We end this liturgical year with gratitude towards God for all of his many blessings. It gives us confidence as we remember that as the Liturgical Year ends, so too does life. The end of earthly life means a definitive destination which can never be altered once judgment has been passed. Rather than inspire servile fear, this truth should inspire us to “be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that (we) will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God,” (Colossians 1:9-10). Such is the task of every Christian: to discover, embrace and fulfill the will of God, being moved by love for him and acting in a way that pleases him. The lot of those who tend to God’s will is union of love with God; albeit in faith in this life, and in the splendor of glory in the next. We have done nothing to merit this because it has been won for us once and for all by Christ. Christ, “having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time onward until his enemies be made a footstool for his feet. For by one offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified” (Second Reading). Therefore, having been cleansed of our sins and clothed in grace we are invited to cooperate with his grace in such a way as to merit it. Jesus who once came in poverty and meekness will come as Judge at the end of time. He will come in power and majesty gathering the fruits of his labor and Blood. He will be our Judge and will judge us as he himself has said, according to our love: “Come, you who are blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ‘For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited me in; Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of mine, even the least of them, you did it to me.’” (Matthew 25:35-35, 40). Love will examine us on love. If theological charity reigns in our hearts we have nothing to fear. Mary Magdalene was forgiven much because she loved much (see Luke 7:47). The greater and deeper our love, the more effective it will efface all the sins and miseries we have heaped up in this life, despite our good intentions. “Love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8). In his beautiful book Living Flame St. John of the Cross tells us “For this reason it is a great thing for our soul to exercise itself constantly in love, so that, being perfected here below, it may not stay long, either in this world or in the next, without seeing God face to face” (I, 34). When we are ardently in love with God and his love possesses us, we suffer anxiousness for heaven and God’s face so as to love him without any veil or separation. Only an intense love such as that can prepare the way for union with God, either here or in heaven. If we take God’s precept of charity – and that means taking seriously and living the Gospel – then we have fulfilled his will and may be admitted into beatific union of heaven. If we live his will as our strongest passion and desire his glory, then we have nothing to fear on Judgment Day, for our judgment will be the eternal joy of God’s embrace. In conclusion, " No night is so long and dark that it has no dawn." In the life of the Church, of the world, of a nation, of every man or woman, no situation is so bad that it does not contain signs of hope. Not even the worst thing that can happen to us namely sin can be a cause of discouragement to us, because Christ has already overpowered it. With Christ’s resurrection, salvation history has entered its final phase, the harbinger of fulfillment. The promises God has made will be seen in their fulfillment and the new heaven and new earth will be inaugurated. In Christ, God has said his final word. In us the Holy Spirit has been poured through baptism, which is the seed of eternal life. But before eternal life can come, each of us must pass through judgment. Today’s readings treat of the universal judgment at the end of time.