Christ Will Come Again

In Glory

Today’s readings give us the assurance that our God will be with us all the days of our lives and we will have the ongoing presence of the Holy Spirit of Jesus in our midst guiding, protecting and strengthening us in spite of the uncertainty concerning the endtimes when “Christ will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.” Next Sunday is the Thirty-fourth and last Sunday in our liturgical year when we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. Each year at this time, the Church asks us to mediate on the “last things” – death, judgment, heaven and hell -- as they apply to us.

The readings invite us to focus our attention on the threefold coming of Jesus: His first coming according to the flesh, as a redeemer. The second coming of Christ at the end of time, which will bring our salvation to completion. His coming into our lives each time we step forward in genuine Christian living. The first reading, from the prophetic Book of Daniel (167 BC) with its vision of the archangel Michael, was originally written to comfort and give hope to the Jewish people persecuted by a cruel pagan king. In the second reading, the author of the letter to the Hebrews consoles believers suffering from “endtime phobia” with the knowledge that Jesus, who sits forever at God’s right hand, is our mediator who by his sacrifice forgave our sins and sanctified us. Today’s gospel from Mark (69 AD), offered hope to the early Christians persecuted by the Roman Emperor Nero, reminding them of Jesus’ words about his glorious return to earth as judge with great power and glory to gather and reward his elect. Daniel and Mark continue to remind their audience that God will ensure that the righteous will survive the ordeal and will find a place with Him. Through the parable of the fig tree, Jesus warns us all to read the “signs of the time,” reminding us that we must be ever prepared to give an account of our lives to Jesus when he comes in glory as our judge because we do not know “either the day or the hour” of his Second Coming. [Fr. Tony Homilies]

Quote:

We live in an age of uncertainty; the future never looks wholly secure. In a nuclear age the word of Jesus holds out a vision that takes us beyond our worst imaginings. There is a place beyond the mountains of arms and weapons. This vision doesn’t free us from the duty to strive for peace, but it does free us from the blasphemy of believing that a nuclear holocaust will be the last word in the human story. There is only one final word: Jesus. That word has to be enough for us.

[Denis McBride, Seasons of the Word]