Gospel: Second Coming

Today is the Thirty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, and the Gospel reading is from St Mark (click here to read the Mass readings from USCBB).

This Sunday is the second to the last Sunday of our liturgical year. As we approach the end of the Church year, our Gospel invites us to consider Jesus' predictions and teaching about the end of the world. In the context of St Mark's Gospel, Jesus' words about this are spoken to his disciples as he prepares them for his passion and death.

Before we consider Jesus' words, it is important to note the political backdrop against which many think St Mark's Gospel was written. Most scholars concur that St Mark wrote his Gospel for Christians living in or near Rome about 30 to 40 years after the death of Jesus. This was a time of political turmoil in Rome. Some Christians experienced persecution by the Romans during the reign of emperor Nero (about 64 AD). Jewish revolutionaries rebelled against the Romans, which led the Romans to destroy the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD. In this time of political turmoil and persecution, many of St Mark's community might have wondered if the end of times predicted by Jesus were in fact quite near.

Last Sunday we heard Jesus' observation about the contributions being made to the temple treasury and the example of sacrificial giving that he saw in the poor widow's offering. If we have been reading St Mark's Gospel continuously, we would have heard Jesus predict the destruction of the Temple, his teaching about the cost of discipleship, and the woes that will accompany the end of times. Finally, we would have heard Jesus instruct his disciples about the need for watchfulness so that they will not be caught unprepared for this final day of judgment.

In today's reading, Jesus continues his teachings by offering his disciples signs to look for that will indicate that the coming of the Son of Man is near. His words and images draw upon Old Testanent imagery, especially images found in the Book of Daniel. Next, Jesus offers the lesson of the fig tree, a parable that teaches that if one knows how to read the signs, one can be prepared for the end of times. Jesus also teaches, however, that no one knows when the end of time will come, except the Father. In the verses that follows this reading in St Mark's Gospel, Jesus continues to warn his disciples to be on watch for this end time.

Jesus words were not spoken to frighten his disciples, nor should they frighten us. Rather, they are offered to prepare us for the changes that we will experience during our lifetimes and at the end of times. Our consolation and hope is found in the lasting nature of Jesus' words and God's never-ending love for us.

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