First Reading Commentary
The Hebrew text depicts a more graphic
description of "stubble" by its translation of straw meeting the
flame. That is not a pleasant visual of
what will happen to the “arrogant and wicked,” as it translates from the Hebrew
text.
The saints in their writings were very open
about their understanding of the sacred texts and did not shy away from difficult
passages such as this. Of course, it's
always easier to focus on the merciful God instead of the just God; but ignoring
the difficult verses of Sacred Scripture won't make them go away.
In our ongoing conversion process, our
sorrow for offending God should contain both perfect and imperfect
contrition. Perfect contrition is sorrow
for sin because we love God and have offended Him. Imperfect contrition or attrition, as it is
sometimes called, is motivated by a fear of losing our heavenly reward to the
horrors of hell.
Truth comes from God
alone and is revealed through Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition as
interpreted by the Magisterium of the Church.
Our pursuit for the Face of Jesus cannot be deterred by the mixed bag of
messages from secularism. No question
that the road to sanctity is a tough road to stay on due mainly to cultural
influences that are exposed to us daily.
But what is popular or even mainstream is not necessarily right or
moral. There's a promise of healing for all
who have a fear of God. In the bigger
picture this Reading not only invites us to examine our own level of love and
fear of God, but also prophesies our Lord Jesus Christ's final victory over
evil. That is the promise and Truth of
God no matter what other influences try to paint a different picture.
Second Reading Commentary
Saint Paul always seems to have a sense of
urgency. Unfortunately, even urgent
pleas concerning salvation could lose their "oomph" when they've been
proclaimed for two-thousand years.
Remember that spirited vigor that followed
shortly after the tragedy of 9/11? Our
nation came together, partisan politics took a back seat, and our churches had standing
room only. Now that the sting of that
tragic day has subsided, it's back to the status quo. Time may heal all wounds but it also can
reopen old ones and create new ones.
Saint Paul makes a good case for imitating
him because he presents himself as a model, but it's now two millennia later
and length of time coupled with impatience could easily puncture holes into one's
faith and entertain the question of: "Shouldn't Christ have returned by
now?"
With all the modern conveniences we enjoy
today: televisions with remote controls and now in this age of cable and
satellite, Lord knows how many channels there are. There's the Internet and email,
cell phones and fax machines; what used to be thirty minutes in an oven is now
three minutes in a microwave. Many of these
conveniences which are designed to save us time actually seem to take up all
our time. Emails may save us a trip to
the post office; and the Internet may save us a trip to the library but the
computer also has a way of enticing us into more things than we intended to get
involved with. Surely one can gain more
wisdom from the Internet than reading Scripture? And isn't it much easier and more relaxing to
watch television than pray? The tempter
is a powerful entity and is well aware of our weaknesses. When conveniences and the lap of luxury begin
to interfere with our time with the Lord, then possibly there's more at work
here than just our own will. And most of
us would never suspect a thing since these modern forms of convenience could
lure virtually anyone into thinking that everything is hunky-dory. Convenience itself is a good thing and a gift
from God but like all good gifts, they can be abused. And when our salvation is at stake, it would
be beneficial to continue to heed the words and example of Saint Paul and all
the saints, no matter how long ago it's been since these holy men and women
lived on earth.
No one knows when our
Lord's Parousia will occur or when our own earthly journey will cease, but let's
not forget these words from Saint Paul: "For you know perfectly, that the
day of the Lord shall come as a thief in the night." (1 Thessalonians 5:2). The
point is that our spiritual selves should always be prepared to meet the Lord
because He could come many years from now or before you finish reading this
commentary.
Gospel Commentary
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
teaches that before Christ's Second Coming the Church will pass through a final
trial that will shake the faith of many believers. The persecution that is to come will unveil
the mystery of iniquity in the form of religious deception which will offer
believers a solution to their problems but in reality it will lead them away from
the truth (cf. CCC 675).
As Catholics it would probably be more beneficial
for us to stay away from all the doomsday talk concerning the end times which
flood the airwaves from various television and radio ministries. If you take to heart what is shared here from
the Catechism, with a decline in both Mass attendance and vocations to the
priesthood you could make the case that the faith of many has already been
shaken; plus all the signs that our Lord lists in this Gospel: wars and
insurrections, nations rising against other nations, kingdoms against kingdoms,
powerful earthquakes, famines and plagues - one could easily make the argument
that these types of things have been occurring for a long time. And that's why it's best just to continue to
walk in faith and whenever the final hour arrives, so be it. We have no way of knowing the span of years
it will take before all the biblical apocalyptic warnings are completed.
Anyone who is now at an adult age could surely
testify that the world has been pacing on a moral decline since their
childhood. Christ speaks of persecutions
and being seized and thrown into prison while some will be put to death. Most of the early Fathers agree that this
futuristic event was actually not all that far in the future and was meant specifically
for Christ's chosen twelve; and most of them were indeed martyred. Our focus should stay on Jesus and being the
holy men and women He called us to be; and try not to get all caught up in the
hoopla concerning the end of the world, except only to be prepared for that day
by being constantly in a state of grace.
If we are truly making efforts to be genuine disciples of Christ, then
while we wait for our Lord's return, we can, as proclaimed at Mass, "wait
in JOYFUL HOPE for the coming of our Savoir, Jesus Christ."
