YEAR C: HOMILY/REFLECTION FOR THE FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING
HOMILY TOPIC: BE NOT AFRAID!
BY: Fr. Mike Lagrimas
Gospel: Lk 21:5-19 – Signs of the End
Message # 314: “The Two Cohorts”
(TO THE PRIESTS, Our Lady’s Beloved Sons, Marian Movement of Priests)
- The Marian Message
a) We are now in the stage of the great battle, a spiritual warfare (letter f). This is between good and evil, between God and Satan.
b) The camp of evil is being led by the Red Dragon and the Black Beast. The Red Dragon is Marxist Atheism which is the denial of God. But not many people can deny God. So there is another leader, the Black Beast. It is Masonry which leads the people into rebellion against God. The head of this evil camp is Lucifer who has two agenda: 1. to rebel against God, and 2. to make himself adored as God. His army is the demons who are poured out from hell upon the earth. With him are all the damned souls in Hell, and the evil people in this world who live in egoism, impurity and hatred. (read letters b, c, and d).
c) The camp of God is led by Mary. Her army is composed of all the angels and saints in Heaven under the guidance of St. Michael the Archangel. (read letter e). Those who belong to this camp are those men and women in this world who are obedient to God’s commands, Mary’s little children who follow the road she traced out. (read letter g). Victory is sure for this camp. The triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is sure to come (letter h).
d) She calls on all of us to join her army in this spiritual battle. We must fight with the weapons of prayer, especially the holy rosary, and live according to Christ’s teachings. (letter i).
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- Points for Reflection
a) As we come near the end of the liturgical year (the last Sunday of the year is November 24, the Feast of Christ the King), our readings are eschatological – they tell us all about the end of things. (“eschaton” is Greek word, which means, “end”). After all, everything in this created world has its end. Only God has no end.
b) These readings are timely reminders for us about the truth that everything has its end, about our own death, and about the end of the world. We are also being reminded that the Lord will come again.
c) We constantly hear talks about the end of the world. Anybody who gives a specific time for this event is a false prophet. It is only God the Father who knows when this will take place and when the Second Coming of Jesus (“Parousia”) will happen. We should not be concerned or curious about the exact time and details. Jesus does not even say anything about it. That is why the signs he mentioned in the Gospel are very generic: wars, natural and man-made calamities. They take place everyday ever since all over the world. All of these serve as warnings to everybody that there is an end: our own death, whether sudden or gradual like sickness and aging, as well as the passing away of things in this created world. Moreover, Jesus mentioned these catastrophic events, not to frighten and sow panic among us, but, on the contrary, to assure us that God is present through all these, and He is in control. While everything is passing away and coming to an end, God remains immutable and eternal – He alone does not change; He alone has no end. Hence, in facing this inevitable reality of the end-times, Jesus invites us to put ourselves in the right disposition: detachment from this passing world, and full and unconditional trust in God.
d) What we are sure about is the fact that Jesus will come again at the end of time. Nobody knows when it will be. But there is a clue mentioned by Jesus: the great apostasy, the loss of faith. Jesus said: “When the Son of Man returns, will he find faith on the earth?” This is explained by Mary in the Blue Book, message # 420. Nowadays, we are witnessing what the Lord predicted, namely, massive apostasy – people leave the true faith due their materialism, egoism and the errors being taught and spread by the enemies of the Church and even by some Bishops and priests who have become too worldly. And since this loss of faith is happening now, more than ever before, the sign is telling us that the second coming of Jesus is very soon.
e) The message of the Blessed Mother is precisely along this line: to remind us that we are in a very critical period in the life of the Church, not necessarily about the end of the world, but more importantly on the raging spiritual battle going on now. The devil has dominion in the world, and has even infiltrated the Church. And the spiritual warfare is going on between God and Satan, between the forces of Heaven and the forces of Hell. She asks us to join her in this battle (letter i) for the victory of her Immaculate Heart will soon take place. We must be vigilant so that we do not fall into the hands of the enemy.
f) The message of the Blessed Mother and the teaching of the Sunday Gospel have only one lesson: “Do not be afraid!” When talking about the end of the world, our own death or whatever uncertain event in the future, one thing is sure: there is nothing to be afraid of. Jesus promised us: “I will be with you always until the end of time.” He will never leave us. He is all-powerful and He will use all His power to protect and save us for we are His beloved children: “not a hair on your head will be destroyed.” We put our full trust in Him; we live always according to His teaching, and do our best to share the good news of salvation to people we encounter. Let us just persevere in the ways of the Lord: “By your perseverance you will secure your lives.” In the great spiritual battle, the Blessed Mother assures us of the victory of her Immaculate Heart. For a Christian, there is always a reason to rejoice for our salvation is near at hand. In the first reading, the Lord said this promise through the prophet Malachi: “But for you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays.”
g) We are being encouraged, therefore, to: 1. live faithful lives; 2. join Mary, St. Michael and all heavenly hosts in this battle of the spirit; 3. trust in the love and power of God; and 4. prepare ourselves in joyful expectation of the Lord’s coming and final victory. Being terrified and anxious about the exact time and manner of the end of the world and the coming of the Lord are not the proper attitudes of a Christian.
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