First Reading Commentary
This Sunday is the next to last Sunday of
the liturgical year as the following Sunday, the Solemnity of Christ the King
closes out the Sundays of Ordinary Time.
Since we're arriving near the end of the liturgical year, the Readings
focus on the end times or last days before the Second Coming of Christ.
In this Reading Daniel begins by telling us
he heard the “word of the Lord”. This intimates that Daniel is at prayer, most
likely in solitude, and in silence, waiting to hear the gentle whispers,
waiting to feel a movement of the heart.
The name of the archangel Michael appears
whose name means "who is like God."
In the last days, Michael will be the defender of the Church who will
guard her from evil; and those whose names are written in the Book of Life,
that is, those who will live in eternal peace, shall escape the distress and
will shine brightly like the stars forever.
Frequently in Sacred
Scripture the stars are synonymously linked to the souls that are saved. In the Old Testament Joseph had a dream that
eleven stars were worshipping him (cf.
Genesis 37:9); thus stars are worshippers.
God created the stars for the service of all nations under heaven (cf. Deuteronomy 4:19); hence the stars
are created by God to serve. In the Book
of Judges (cf. 5:20) the stars
remained in their order and courses and fought against Sisera; therefore the
stars are fighters for justice and morality.
The Book of Sirach (cf. 43:9)
proclaims the stars as the beauty of heaven.
What a magnificent description of the saints! The stars are also exalted (ibid. cf. 44:21). Finally, God knows the number of the stars
and calls each by their name (cf. Psalm
146 [147]:4). There are other
examples where the stars seem to represent what we all desire to be: those who
live forever, shining brightly like the splendor of the firmament.
Second Reading Commentary
The first verse refers to the priestly
ministry of the Old Covenant whereby their sacrifices were offered frequently
and yet those sacrifices were unable to absolve sins.
In the New and Everlasting Covenant Jesus
was both Priest and Victim and He offered Himself for our sins and His
sacrifice need not be repeated over and over because His sacrifice is
sufficient and eternal.
Mass offers a glimpse
into eternity, the One and Only sufficient Sacrifice offered for the people of
God past, present and future so that sins may be forgiven. Our Lord's wait until His enemies are made
His footstool is prophesied in the Old Testament: "Sit at My right Hand
until I make Your enemies Your footstool" (Psalm 109 [110]:1).
Gospel Commentary
More than likely the somewhat cataclysmic
opening verses of this Gospel are better interpreted as a comparison instead of
a literal meaning. That is to say, when
Christ returns, He, the True Light of the world, will shine so brilliantly that
the brightness of the sun and moon cannot compare in illumination. There is nothing more powerful than Him, therefore,
upon His return, anything that is powerful will seem weak in comparison.
Indeed that day will be like none
other. The Venerable Bede refers to it
as the day when angelic powers shall tremble and the very pillars of heaven
shall be moved.
Jesus tells us about the signs that will
give us a clue that He is near; but explains further that no one knows the day
or hour of His return. Some Christian
faiths are obsessed about this day. As
Catholic Christians, we know that Christ will come again; and as long as we are
living our faith, it is not something to be afraid of. Saint Augustine said: "The man who is
free from anxieties waits for the coming of his Lord without fear. What sort of love of Christ is it to be
afraid of His coming?" In our lives
we try to prepare for just about everything we know is going to happen.
If we're traveling, we pack a
suitcase. If we're expecting the birth
of a child, we buy diapers, baby clothes and all the necessities to care for
the baby. We buy gifts for Christmas,
birthdays, weddings and anniversaries.
We educationally prepare ourselves to receive the Sacraments for the
first time. Preparation is a way of life
and preparation is the key to this Gospel.
We know not the day or hour that Jesus will return but we do know that
He indeed will return.
Saint Gregory assures us that it is a very
great mercy of God for us to not know when this day will come so that we may
always be prepared for it. Saint
Bonaventure adds that God purposely chose to leave us in this uncertainty to
prevent our attachment to temporal things.
Looking for the signs
to know when He is near is not really necessary because as Spirit-filled
Christians, we know that He is always near. We need not lose any sleep worrying about when
that day will come because if we are prayerful and faithful servants of the Lord,
then our lives are icons of holy preparation.
