HOMILY: THIRTY THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME OF THE YEAR C.
THEME: THE END IS NEAR.
BY: Fr. Jb Mbbah-Offor.
Mal 4:1-2, 2Thess 3:7-12, Luke 21:5-19
The book of Revelation says much about the end of all things, especially in chapters 21 and 22.The world will one day come to an end with all things which are of human construction, no matter how solid and lasting they may be, but God’s power and authority can never end. God will punish those who do evil but he will live with his people. Then his people will no longer suffer, they will never again know tears or pain or death(Rev.21:4). That is the perfect world that God wants, and that perfect age will never end
In the Gospel of today, Jesus foretells the utter ruin and destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem. His disciples asked him, ” Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign when this is about to take place? ”
The temple is a place of prayer, worship, and sacrifice. The patriarchs did not have a temple, although they had sacred places where they called upon the name of Yahweh, like Bethel, Shechem and Sinai. After achieving political stability, king David wanted to build a temple for God, but God was not pleased with it. During the the reign of king Solomon, David’s plan for the temple was accomplised.
King Solomon built the first temple, which was destroyed during the Babylonian captivity in 587 B.C. When the Jews returned from their captivity in Babylonia, under the encouragement of prophets Haggai and Zachariah, they built the second temple in 515 B.C – a remarkable work of faith but inferior to the original temple. Herod the Great later tore down that temple to make room for his temple.
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As the disciples admired the great beauty and magnificence of the Temple, Jesus foretold its destruction. He says, ” days will come in when there shall not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” This prophecy was fulfilled. In 70 A.D the Jews rebelled against the Romans. The Romans besieged the city and the Temple was destroyed. Jesus could see the signs of history. He saw the destruction of the Temple and warned the people. It is only when we see things through the eyes of God that we see them well.
We should always be concern about the presence of God in the Temple or Church. In Matthew 24:1 the Bible recorded that he left the Temple before the prediction of the ruin of the Temple. He departed from the Temple and did not come back. When He departed from the Temple, its glory, sanctity and defense departed.
There is always a disaster upon a person, society, association, kingdom, Church when the spirit of God departs. When the spirit of the Lord departed from Sampson, disaster set on him, when the spirit of the Lord departed from Eli the priest, his family got destroyed. Jesus departed from the Temple and destruction visited it. Let’s continue following Jesus as the Apostles did and allow the spirit of God to lead us.
There will be judgement, reward and punishment at the end of time. Let’s start now to prepare for the end of time. Nobody knows the time it will come. There is no clear agenda and nobody knows the day, the only way to prepare is to live as if each day is that day of the Lord, keeping the commandment of God and doing good. Jesus promised that his disciples would never meet their tribulations alone. Christians will be persecuted but they need not worry about what they will do or say because the Lord will give them unassailable words of wisdom. The Lord will be with those who speak in his name.
Happy Sunday!
