Homily for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (C). November 2019.
Reflecting on this Sunday’s readings, I turned to that great source of theological wisdom, Amazon Video. In November, at the end of the liturgical year, the liturgy speaks of the Apocalypse. Well, I discovered that there are also many films on this theme. I found earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes–even alien invasions. And lots and lots of zombies.
The name of one film–at a discounted price–was “Apocalypse 2012.” This film provoked the question: has the Apocalypse already happened? Was I distracted and didn’t notice? As I thought about it, I remember hearing in 1999, “The end is near. At midnight, our computers will no longer work, there will be a total collapse of civilization. Buy canned food.”
Then in 2012, I did an interview for an American Catholic radio program, and they asked me about the Mayan calendar. It was about to end on December 21, 2012, they said, and asked, “Is it true that the world will end? Should we buy canned food?”
Even today, when we talk about the environment—an important issue—there is often an apocalyptic element. And this element, in my opinion, probably does not help us deal with this complex problem in a sober manner.
Perhaps you are now thinking, “But, Father, are you saying that there will be no Apocalypse?” Absolutely not. The Apocalypse is a recurring theme in Jesus’ preaching, and since time of the apostles, the Church has never ceased to proclaim the urgency of being prepared for this event. There have been many false prophets who have proclaimed “the time is near,” but that does not mean we should not be prepared. Even if the Mayan astrologers were wrong about the date, our life is short.
However, with these recent examples of false prophecies, I would like to point out that in today’s culture, the idea of the Apocalypse continues to exist but has become secularized. Earthquakes, hurricanes, aliens, computers, astrologers, pollution, zombies—in all this apocalyptic talk, the one thing missing is the most important thing: Jesus Christ.
When the Bible speaks of the Apocalypse, it uses a flood of dazzling and disorienting images and symbols, but the core is always this: Jesus Christ will return.
The disorientation we feel in the biblical visions comes from the fact that this event is both reassuring and frightening. And both aspects stem from the fact that Jesus Christ is the truth, and when he returns, he will come in truth.
The world we know, the world we live in, is built on half-truths. If we think about all the words we hear in a day—on the news, in advertising, on the street, from colleagues, friends, family members—how many of them are true? And how many are used to keep up appearances? Even when we think about our interior dialogue—the human capacity for self-deception is impressive. How often, in order to protect the fragility of the ego, are we unable to be honest even with ourselves?
And when Jesus Christ comes in truth, what will happen to the lies, the half-truths, the words that the powerful use to maintain their power, the words that we use to protect our fragile selves or to keep up appearances? The prophet Malachi tells us: “the day [will be] blazing like an oven.” The image of fire is repeated in apocalyptic scriptures because on that day everything that is not true will be burned like straw. The Last Judgment will also be the perfect judgment.
It is a sobering thought, but it gives us the key to prepare for that day. On that day, each of us will face the truth; each of us will meet Jesus Christ.
A noteworthy aspect of all the examples of the secularized Apocalypse, especially those films on Amazon and Netflix, is that they are horror films, which see the frightening aspect of the Apocalypse but not the reassuring aspect–that we will meet Jesus Christ. Finally, we will find the truth.
We Christians, in fact, pray for this moment every day when we say, “Thy kingdom come.” The Apocalypse is our hope. Aren’t we tired of half-truths? Instead of the words, words, words of this world, the Apocalypse promises us the Word. The definitive and true word. Not straw but gold.
And when Jesus Christ returns, he will not want to eat canned food. Therefore, we do not need to build a bunker for the Apocalypse. To prepare ourselves, we must live in truth.
The second reading, St. Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians, is instructive in preparing for the Apocalypse. In his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul had warned of the coming of the Apocalypse, and it seems that some of the Thessalonians, thinking it would come immediately, had stopped working. So Paul had to write a second letter, saying, “Work!” It seems like an almost trivial instruction, but the theme of truth is also present in this: that is, do not eat the food of others, but work honestly yourselves. Work for what you eat. Live justly, live in truth.
The last piece of advice to prepare us for the Apocalypse is a technique used by forest firefighters. The Apocalypse is frightening because we know that we do not live 100% in truth, that there is still some straw inside us, that is, flammable materials. And the technique of forest firefighters is this: when there is a fire that is too big to control, they start a backfire. They light a fire in the path of the forest fire so that when the fire reaches that point, it goes out because there is no more fuel.
In the Catholic religion, this “backfire” technique is called the sacrament of confession. It is a way of burning the straw inside us so that we can live in truth. And so that when, at the end of the world and at the end of our lives, our judge arrives, we will recognize him as our Savior.
(Original: Italian)
Readings: Mal 3:19-20a; 2 Thes 3:7-2; Lk 21:5-19
Madonna di San Luca, Bologna
November 2019
Tony Lusvardi, S.J. 