Sunday, November 17, 2019 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time First Reading: Mal 3:19-20 Second Reading: 2 Thes 3:7-12 s Gospel Reading: Lk 21:5-19
While some people were talking about the Temple, remarking that it was adorned with fine stonework and rich gifts, Jesus said to them, “The days will come when there shall not be left one stone upon another of all that you now admire; all will be torn down.” And they asked him, “Master, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?”Jesus then said, “Take care not to be deceived, for many will come claiming my title and saying: ‘I am he, the Messiah; the time is at hand.’ Do not follow them. When you hear of wars and troubled times, don’t be frightened; for all this must happen first, even though the end is not so soon.”And Jesus said, “Nations will fight each other and kingdom will oppose kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and plagues; in many places strange and terrifying signs from heaven will be seen. Before all this happens, people will lay their hands on you and persecute you; you will be delivered to the Jewish courts and put in prison, and for my sake you will be brought before kings and governors. This will be your opportunity to bear witness. “So keep this in mind: do not worry in advance about what to answer, for I will give you words and wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict.”You will be betrayed even by parents, and brothers, by relatives and friends, and some of you will be put to death. But even though you are hated by all for my name’s sake, not a hair of your head will perish. Through perseverance you will possess your own selves.”
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)
The images of destruction presented in today’s Gospel herald the series of similar gospel passages that lead us to next Sunday’s Christ the King – a grand celebration which concludes the calendar of the Catholic Church.
The destruction of the Temple and the calamities and persecutions we will be reading about in the coming days are images of the destruction of the old order and the beginning of a new one. The messages of these readings boil down to perseverance in faith and hope. We have nothing to fear because the Lord is on top of everything. So long as we are still capable of hoping and believing fear will never consume us, for we will always find strength in the love of God. If we have to fear at all, it should be fearing to die unprepared. –(Atty.) Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., J.D., D.M.