THIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
13 NOVEMBER 2022
In
his public ministry, Jesus forms his disciples to give testimony, so that the
Gospel will be spread. At Saint Pius, we
have come to understand the power of people who are willing to testify about
their faith. When we invite parishioners
to renew their commitment to one of the three legs of stewardship, we invite
normal people from the parish to testify about their embrace of stewardship as
a way of life. They speak with more
credibility than I can. Those of you who
have participated in a Christ Renews His
Parish retreat know the importance of team members testifying about their faith. It is this testimony that leads others to
deeper faith.
Today Jesus
is at the end of his public ministry. He
stands in the temple. The temple is one
of the most magnificent structures in the ancient world. People marvel at its beauty. But Jesus puts their awe into
perspective. He tells them that this
temple will be destroyed. He warns of
deceptive leaders, alongside wars, insurrections, and natural disasters. He warns his disciples of the personal
consequences. They will be seized and
persecuted and thrown into prison. In
the face of all these difficulties, how will they be able to muster the courage
to testify to their faith?
He tells
them they will testify with words, but not with their own words. As the Word made flesh, he promises to reveal
the words to them. Faithful testimony
happens by listening for divine wisdom.
He also encourages them to testify with actions, even in the midst of
suffering. He tells them that they can
persevere through darkness and trust that “not a hair on your head will be
destroyed.” They must trust in God’s
saving action. Death is not the end.
In the
chapters of Luke’s Gospel after this passage, we will see Jesus’ own
testimony. He will pray for divine
wisdom in his final night in the Garden of Gethsemane. He will persevere through his own
persecution, when he will be arrested, when his friends will betray and abandon
him, and when the crowds will demand that he be put to death. Jesus himself will experience the same darkness
that he lays out in today’s Gospel. His
trust in the light to come will never waver.
By the time
this Gospel had been written, the Romans had destroyed the temple. Saint Luke uses the words of Jesus about the
destruction of the temple as an image for the destruction of the world at the end
of time. His disciples were persecuted,
and many of them put to death. Those
early martyrs testified as Jesus had told them to do, and they persevered to
eternal glory.
These
readings can frighten us, as Jesus’ words frightened his first disciples. As we come to the end of this Liturgical
Year, Jesus tells the truth that the world as we know it will end. Each of us must face the darkness of our own
deaths, as well as the darkness of the deaths of those we love. Each of us will experience moments of
darkness in our lives that cause great pain.
In the midst of all of this, the Lord encourages us to testify to our
faith.
In two
weeks, we will enter into the Season of Advent.
Advent provides a wonderful time to practice testifying to our faith in
three specific ways. First, we can
listen for divine wisdom. We can listen
by setting aside 5 minutes (or more!) each day in quiet prayer. In those five minutes, we can set aside
distractions to listen to the Holy Spirit.
Second, we can light a candle. Even
a small flicker of flame can brighten these dark days and draw our awareness to
Christ, the Light of the World. Third,
we can reflect on the Advent Sunday Scripture readings. Those readings invite us to empty ourselves
of our own preconceived notions and trust that God is in charge, and not us. In particular, the words of the prophet
Isaiah point to the dawning of a new and glorious day. If we can learn to testify to our faith
better during Advent, then we can better testify to Christ’s incarnate love at
Christmas.
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