YEAR C: HOMILY FOR THE 33RD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME.
THEME: Do you still remember the “3 days darkness”?
BY: Fr. Justus Oruma.
(a) As the year is coming to end and the Church liturgical calendar year is at its last days, the readings speak about the “last things”, about the end of time. Time goes and will end, but when? how and where? Asked the desciples to Jesus.
(b) In the past even as Jesus mentioned, many would claim to know when and how the world will end. There was one time the “3days darkness” prophecy that was popular in the Eastern Nigeria, in the 90s, told by some seerers, to be the end of the world and time. People did different things as a reaction; many bought candles and spent days and nights in the Church praying, some withdrew from their daily responsiblities and dutities in the waiting for the prophesied time, some gave up or sold all their property, others deserted their homes, there were some form of “disorder” – as regards daily works and duties in the sense that; of what use are they, since the end is just here. This was also the problem of the Thessalonians in the time of St. Paul. Some stopped working and left their duties while expecting the Lord’s second coming. Paul urges them to go about their daily duties, that he himself, a missionary is als a tent-maker goes about still working.
RELATED: YEAR C: HOMILY FOR THE 32ND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME.
(c) There was story of three little boys playing footbal. A priest interrupted them and asked them; if the Lord comes now what will you do? One said I will run to my mother, the other said “to the church” and the last said, I will continue playing the ball. The last showed someone ready to be caught of the duty and ready to die at his post. This is how to react to the end time. Our interest and worry should not be when will my end come? When and how will i die, when will my world end for no body knows neither the day nor the hour, not even the angels in heaven. Only God knows (Mk. 13:32). What is important is; that the End meet us on our duty, on our post, doing good works; as it is written; “blessed is that servant whom the master meets at his duty post when he comes back” (Matt.24:46). We are called to concentrate on doing good works not on when the end will come. It is these good works that will save us from the destructive fire at the end of the time as described in Malachi 3. Our heavenly Father, who alone knows the end of the time, goes on working so do Jesus Christ our Lord, (John 5:17), and st Paul too, as he told the Thessalonians. Dorcass was full of good works (Acts 9:36). Let what preoccupies us instead be; what kind of life and type work do I do? What if the end meets me in it, will it be to condemnation or to glory? Good works are the only value that will follow you all-through even when the world and time ends as it is written; “happy those who die in the Lord for their good works go with them” (Rev. 14:13)https://www.homilyhub.com/year-c-homily-for-the-33rd-sunday-in-ordinary-time-1/
CLICK>>>>> FOR MORE HOMILIES