BIBLE STUDY #114


THIRTY THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

November 18, 2012



READING 1

DANIELN 12:1-3



In those days, I Daniel,

heard this word of the Lord:

"At that time there shall arise

Michael, the great prince,

guardian of your people;

it shall be a time unsurpassed in distress

since nations began until that time.

At that time your people shall escape,

everyone who is found written in the book.



"Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake;

some shall live forever,

others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace.



"But the wise shall shine brightly

like the splendor of the firmament,

and those who lead the many to justice

shall be like the stars forever."



The Word of the Lord



READING 2

HEBREWS 10:11-14, 18



Brothers and sisters:

Every priest stands daily at his ministry,

offering frequently those same sacrifices

that can never take away sins.

But this one offered one sacrifice for sins,

and took his seat forever at the right hand of God;

now he waits until his enemies are made his footstool.

For by one offering

he has made perfect forever those who are being consecrated.



Where there is forgiveness of these,

there is no longer offering for sin.



The Word of the Lord





GOSPEL

MARK 13:24-32



Jesus said to his disciples:

"In those days after that tribulation

the sun will be darkened,

and the moon will not give its light,

and the stars will be falling from the sky,

and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.



"And then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in the clouds'

with great power and glory,

and then he will send out the angels

and gather his elect from the four winds,

from the end of the earth to the end of the sky.



"Learn a lesson from the fig tree.

When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves,

you know that summer is near.

In the same way, when you see these things happening,

know that he is near, at the gates.

Amen, I say to you,

this generation will not pass away

until all these things have taken place.

Heaven and earth will pass away,

but my words will not pass away.



"But of that day or hour, no one knows,

neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."



The Gospel of the Lord



Reflection



Mark chapter 13 is sometimes called the “Little Apocalypse” (the Book of Revelation is known as the “Great Apocalypse”) or it is also known as the “Synoptic Apocalypse” because versions of this appear in Matthew’s and Luke’s Gospels. The word “Apocalypse” means “revelation” because the purpose of this genre or literary form of writing is to reveal the mysteries of the future and/or of the heavenly realm. Apocalyptic literature often deals with last things, such as death, resurrection, judgment, rewards, punishments, the after life, and is known as eschatology, meaning the study of the last things. This is a typical Advent theme which we will see in 2 weeks on the First Sunday of Advent.



The setting for this apocalyptic discourse is the Mount of Olives opposite Jerusalem. This discourse begins with Jesus answering questions from his disciples about the last things. It starts with Jesus answering questions about the destruction of the temple, to the course of future events, and the great transformation that accompanies the coming of the fullness of God’s Kingdom.



Today’s gospel reading comes from a section of this chapter known the “Parousia of the Son of Man” and the “Nearness of the Parousia of the Son of Man”; Parousia referring to Jesus’ second coming.



Mark firmly believes in the second coming of Jesus. There will be much destruction and suffering prior to his return. The disciples are urged to bear with the suffering; they are to flee and not to defend the city through misguided messianic hope. The Parousia occurs after the suffering and destruction. These concepts are drawn from the Old Testament, and are a collage of prophetic texts.



Upon his return, it is the same Jesus who suffered, died, and rose form the dead, but now he is seen in his fullness instead of being perceived dimly. He will be seen in the power and glory of the Father. This is a great promise of hope to those who await his return. It is this hope that enables all followers to persevere to the end.



In 8:38 Jesus tells that if we are not ashamed of him we will rejoice in his glorious coming. Mark insists that we watch and be ready for his coming which will be joy indeed for those who believe. Jesus comes not to execute judgment but to gather together the scattered people of God. We are the elect of Jesus, and he will return for us.



Mark did expect an imminent Parousia, coming in the lifetime of the first generation of Christians. Just as the sprouts on a fig tree signal the coming of summer, so the suffering they endure signals the nearness of the Son of Man in his second coming. This is not just his own belief, but is fully consistent with the words of Jesus (see 9:1 and 13:30).



So, was Mark wrong? In a sense, yes, he was: Jesus hasn’t returned. But there are some basic truths to be learned. Jesus death and resurrection did usher in the last age; Jesus is God’s final and definitive revelation of God’s desires for us. God’s definitive act was sending his Son; the Son’s return is the consummation of God’s plan. More importantly for us, I think, is the watching, waiting, and preparing that is important. Jesus comes to us everyday in many ways: through prayer, sacraments, and scripture to name a few. It is in opening our hearts to his love that we prepare ourselves to accept him in our lives. It is in the hope that he will bring us home that we have joy. Neither the date of Jesus second coming nor the date of our death when we go to meet him is not important. What’s important is if we are ready to meet him.



In the first reading from the Book of Daniel, the Israelites are in the midst of a persecution inflicted by the Syrian Emperor Antiochus IV in the second century B.C. In the midst of great persecution, Daniel directs the people to look to the future when Michael, Israel’s guardian angel, will liberate them from their persecutors. He encourages them to persevere since, as is usual in apocalyptic writing, things will get worse before they get better. However, those who develop proper relationships with God and others will find themselves in a future, liberated world. In perhaps the first reference to resurrection from the dead, "Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake; some shall live forever, others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace.”







Fr. Phil