Liturgy of the Sunday

Thirty-third Sunday of Ordinary Time
Remembrance of the dedication of the Roman basilicas of Saint Peter's in the Vatican and Saint Paul's outside the walls. World Day of the Poor.

First Reading

Daniel 12,1-3

'At that time Michael will arise -- the great Prince, defender of your people. That will be a time of great distress, unparalleled since nations first came into existence. When that time comes, your own people will be spared -- all those whose names are found written in the Book. 'Of those who are sleeping in the Land of Dust, many will awaken, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting disgrace. Those who are wise will shine as brightly as the expanse of the heavens, and those who have instructed many in uprightness, as bright as stars for all eternity.

Psalmody

Psalm 15

Antiphon

Lord you are the only true goodness.

Preserve me, God,
I take refuge in you.

I say to the Lord; 'You are my God.
My happiness lies in you alone.'

He has put into my heart a marvellous love
for the faithful ones who dwell in his land.

Those who choose other gods increase their sorrows.
Never will I offer their offerings of blood.
Never will I take their name upon my lips.

O Lord, it is you who are my portion and cup;
it is you yourself who are my prize.

'The lot marked out for me is my delight:
welcome indeed the heritage that falls to me!

I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel,
who even at night directs my heart.

I keep the Lord ever in my sight;
since he is at my right hand, I shall stand firm.

And so my heart rejoices,
my soul is glad;
even my body shall rest in safety.

For you will not leave my soul among the dead,
nor let your beloved know decay.

You will show me the path of life,
the fullness of joy in your presence,
at your right hand happiness for ever.

Second Reading

Hebrews 10,11-14.18

Every priest stands at his duties every day, offering over and over again the same sacrifices which are quite incapable of taking away sins. He, on the other hand, has offered one single sacrifice for sins, and then taken his seat for ever, at the right hand of God, where he is now waiting till his enemies are made his footstool. By virtue of that one single offering, he has achieved the eternal perfection of all who are sanctified. When these have been forgiven, there can be no more sin offerings.

Reading of the Gospel

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Yesterday I was buried with Christ,
today I rise with you who are risen.
With you I was crucified;
remember me, Lord, in your kingdom.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Mark 13,24-32

'But in those days, after that time of distress, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will come falling out of the sky and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send the angels to gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the world to the ends of the sky. 'Take the fig tree as a parable: as soon as its twigs grow supple and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. So with you when you see these things happening: know that he is near, right at the gates. In truth I tell you, before this generation has passed away all these things will have taken place. Sky and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 'But as for that day or hour, nobody knows it, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son; no one but the Father.

 

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Yesterday I was buried with Christ,
today I rise with you who are risen.
With you I was crucified;
remember me, Lord, in your kingdom.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Homily

We are approaching the end of the liturgical year. This evangelical passage is part of the eschatological discourse (that is, about the "ultimate reality") which takes up all of Mark chapter 13. Jesus has just left the temple with his disciples, Jesus goes toward the Mount of Olives from which the splendour of the temple could be admired. Looking at this incredible structure, the disciples are awestruck but, seeming to interrupt the disciples' amazement, Jesus tells them that "not one stone will be left here upon another" of this building. After speaking of the "great tribulation" of Jerusalem, Jesus announces that cosmic disturbances will follow and adds: "Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds' with great power and glory."
The Gospel reminds us that the "Son of Man" comes not in the weariness of our habits and he does not insert himself in the natural course of things. When he comes, he brings a radical change to the lives of men and women and of all creation. To express this profound transformation—a sort of violent interruption of history—Jesus revives the typical language of an apocalyptic tradition widely known during those times and speaks of cosmic events that will upset the order of nature. Jesus speaks of the "last days, but he says also that such upheavals will occur in "this generation." The "Day of the Lord" foreshadowed by Daniel and the other prophets bursts into every generation, and even more so into each day. Jesus says, "You know that he is near, at the very gates." This expression is used at other times in Scripture to urge believers to be ready to welcome the Lord who is coming. "Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me" (Rev 3:20). At the doors of each day of our life, it is the Lord who knocks and today, Sunday in which we do the memorial of the poor, we remember that at our door there always Jesus in the flesh of the hungry, the foreigner, the sick, and the prisoner. He is the Lazarus covered with wounds who waits to be welcomed and from this welcoming depends the judgment of God who intends to transform the time in which we live.
The "end of the world" must come every day. Every day, we must put an end to both the small or big pieces of the world's evil and malevolence that people continue to build. Scripture invites us to keep the future towards which we are directed in front of our eyes: the end of the world is not a catastrophe, but will in fact establish the holy city, the Jerusalem that comes down from heaven. It is a city, that is, a concrete reality, not an abstract one, gathering all the people around their Lord. This is the goal of history. But this holy city must be planted in our daily life now so that it may grow and transform us into its likeness. This is not an easy and automatic craft, but the daily toil that every believer must fulfil, knowing that "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away."