Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time 'C'

Saturday November 13, 2010

Life has eternal consequences

Several years ago a colleague of mine in a presentation to our diocesan lay ministers and candidates for the permanent diaconate unpacked what he referred to as a “survival kit” for Catholics.

The first item that he pulled out of his bag was a Bible. He said to them: “Don’t just read this book but get to know its author real well. It’s full of survival stories for people who are serious about life on this earth and intent of life in the hereafter.”

Some people read the Bible and come to some rather bizarre conclusions. Many of us study the Bible with the aid of a biblical commentary, which is always preferred but I wonder how well we know the ‘author’ of the Bible. I sometimes have the feeling that even some commentators have not spent much time with the ‘Author.’ Of course we know that the Bible has many authors but they were all inspired by one Author—the Spirit of God.

The Scriptures contain many survival stories and what we might call survival prophecies. Malachi “the realist” is author of one of the survival prophecies. His name means messenger. It was his task to describe what the “Day of the Lord” might be like for the just as well as for the unjust. With a wide use of hyperbole, he said that the behavior of believers has everlasting consequences. The day of the Lord’s coming was a euphemism for the end times for all or the end of life for the individual.

In another section of his prophecy, using metaphors, Malachi enumerated issues that would determine if the day of the Lord would be experienced as a “blazing oven” of retribution or the “healing rays of the rewarding sun.” The list includes laxity among the clergy, shallow worship among the congregation, the withholding of tithes, insincere religious practice, and social injustice. Social justice was considered an essential component of sincere faith and worship.

The implications of this list are clearly reflected in the New Testament, especially in Matthew, Chapter 26, in which the measure of final judgement is the manner in which we have treated our neighbor. Jesus insisted that the love of God and love of neighbor cannot be separated.

Luke’s Gospel connects many of the apocalyptic stories circulating around Jewish communities at the time of Jesus and shortly thereafter. Luke combined these stories with the sayings of Jesus and created his own survival stories, an example of which we have just heard.

The temple at the time of Jesus was one of the wonders of the world—a spectacular achievement. Josephus the Jewish historian described it in these words: “…lacking nothing that could astound either mind or eye. For, being covered on all sides with massive plates of gold, the sun shone upon it with a radiance so fiery that people straining to look at it were compelled to avert their eyes, as from the rays of the sun.” It was almost as if it mirrored the face of God. Like the Titanic, the ship that “not even God could sink,” there was nothing that could destroy the temple.

It was against this background that Jesus’ words are quoted by Luke in today’s gospel passage. It doesn’t take much to appreciate the listener’s shock at Jesus’ prediction. Of course, when Luke wrote these words, the temple had already been destroyed in a savage attack by Rome. It is said that well over a hundred thousand people were slaughtered in the attack.

Luke was making the point that the dominion of God could not be destroyed because God’s dominion was not confined to the temple. It was to be found in the incarnate presence of God in Jesus. “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” He was referring of course to the temple of his body, not the temple of gold and stone. The people did not understand this “reality check” voiced by Jesus.

Those who live in the dominion of God must be prepared to forsake all earthly power and surrender to the power of God. This of course is an overstatement of a point to make the point. Our final destiny will not be determined on the beauty of the “temple” but on the beauty of the living temples not made of stone. St. Paul calls the “Church” the “Body of Christ” made not from brick and mortar but from living stones. We are temples of the Holy Spirit.

In our wildest imagination, who would have thought that the World Trade Towers could crumble on September 11, 2001? It surely was not the work of God any more than the destruction of Jerusalem was the will of God. God is not a savage warrior but a saving redeemer who builds up what the nations destroy.

Nations still bear arms “for the sake of the Gospel” and I suppose our present warfare can only be justified as blind madness in the face of absolute madness. War is the ultimate denial of the realities that sow the seeds of hatred and our young pay the price.

November signals the beginning of the end of the Liturgical year. Advent signals the beginning of a new year of grace. We are challenged to re-think our membership in the dominion of God and re-commit ourselves not to the building of an earthly kingdom but to a building not made of stones by human hands; to a community of human hearts in partnership with God. It’s a costly investment of time and energy but one that has everlasting consequences.

In the words of Micah, the prophet, “With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow before God mist high? Shall I come before him with holocausts, with calves a year old…? You have been told what is good, and what the Lord requires of you: Only to do the right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.” [Micah 6:6-8]

As we continue to struggle with the Gospel of peace, we pray that the God of peace will prevail in the hearts of all people and that the teaching of Jesus will dominate our pursuit of justice.

Those who walk with God in Christ may lose their lives but they can never lose their soul.

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