HOMILY FOR SATURDAY OF THE 34TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR A
THEME: That day will be sprung on you suddenly, like a trap.
By: Fr Deotacious Chikontwe SMA
READINGS OF THE DAY
Daniel 7:15-27
Resp Psalm Daniel 3:82-87
Luke 21:34-36
LITURGICAL COLOUR
GREEN
INTRODUCTION
Good morning dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate Saturday of the 34th Week in Ordinary Time, Year A. Today officially we conclude the current liturgical year A and will be beginning the new liturgical year B, with the season of Advent tomorrow on the First Sunday of Advent.
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FROM OUR FIRST READING
In our first reading today, we continue with the details of the apocalyptic vision that Daniel received from the Lord regarding the coming of the end of times and the salvation promised from God. In that reading, we heard of the coming of the four great beasts that will ravage the world, oppress the faithful and the people of God, and cause great destruction. These are the same beasts that a few centuries later, St. John the Apostle would also witness in his series of apocalyptic visions in the island of Patmos. Those beasts represent the forces of the Devil, the great enemy, who would try to crush all those who oppose him and those who are faithful to God.
FROM OUR GOSPEL READING
the short gospel reading, Jesus makes two calls on his disciples, ‘Watch yourselves’, and ‘Stay awake, praying at all times’. The call to stay away, praying at all times, is a call to watch the Lord, to keep our focus on the Lord. The call to watch the Lord is more fundamental than the call to watch ourselves. It is only by continuing to look upon the Lord in prayer that we will be able to see ourselves as we truly are, as the Lord sees us. When we hear the call of Jesus to pray at all times, we may wonder how we could possibly pray at all times. Yes, we can pray some of the time, but, surely, not ‘all times’. However, Jesus is not calling on us to be on our knees in prayer at all times or to be constantly in the church.
CONCLUSION
Dear friends in Christ, praying at all times is more a prayerful awareness of the Lord’s presence to us. We can enter into this awareness ‘at all times’, wherever we might be, whatever we might be doing. Just as the Lord is present to us at all times, he calls on us to be present to him at all times. That doesn’t mean we cannot be present to others or to the task of the moment. It is just that our attentiveness to others and to all that we do during the day is contained within an underlying attentiveness to the Lord, that ‘staying awake’ to him that Jesus talks about in the gospel reading. He also assures us in that gospel reading that if we are prayerfully present to him at all times in this way, we will receive from him the strength we need to engage with all that comes our way, ‘all that is going to happen’, in the words of the gospel reading.
The Lord be with You.
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