33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)

Jesus said, "All that you see here--the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down."

Lk 21:5-19

BIBLICAL NOTES

Biblical scholars call this passage the eschatological discourse. Eschatology deals with the end time, that is, the return of Jesus. What will happen when Jesus returns?

1. The world will end. It does not mean the destruction of the world. Instead, it means that the universe will be transformed.
   
2. The resurrection of the dead. The souls of those who died will rejoin their bodies. But their bodies will be changed.
   
3. There will be the general judgment. Those who are worthy of heaven will go to heaven body and soul. Those who are worthy of hell will go to hell body and soul.
   
4. Time will end and eternity will begin. Eternity means no end. This means that those who are in heaven will always be in heaven. And those who are in hell will always be in hell.

But before Jesus returns, Jerusalem and its temple will be destroyed. And between the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple and the return of Jesus, there is a period of time called the time of the gentiles. How long will it be? We do not know.

In connection with this, we must remember that in the beginning, Christians thought that the return of Jesus will take place during their lifetime. They, there-fore, did not expect the period of time called the time of the gentiles. Jesus, of course, has not yet returned. But Jerusalem and its temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.

Why are the gospels talking about eschatology or the end time? Because this is the them at the end of the liturgical year and at the beginning of the Advent.

LESSON

I take my inspiration from the closing words of Jesus: “By your perseverance you will secure your lives.” The key word is perseverance or endurance.

Let’s talk first about the opposite of perseverance and endurance.

Ningas Cugon. When you set fire to dried cugon grass, it will burn intensely. But only for a short time. The fire soon dies out. We make New Year’s resolu-tions. But we keep it only on January 1. By January 2, BSDU na tayo. Balik sa dating ugali (we return to our old ways).

I know someone who joined a renewal movement many years ago. He was so excited about Jesus. But that was only for a month. When he died, he left a legal wife and an illegal wife. By the way, he died of cirrhosis of the liver. He was drinking too much.

When we do not persevere or endure, we give up. Bibitaw tayo (we let go.) I remember reading the story of a ship wreck near Mindoro. Two survivors were keeping themselves afloat by holding on to a drum. After many hours at sea, one of them said, “Hindi ko na kaya (I can’t take it anymore).” And he let go. The other who kept on holding the drum was rescued later.

Why do some marriages fail? Because one or both spouses give up. They stop trying to save their marriage. I do not mean that all marriages can be saved. Nor do I suggest that it is good na magpaka-martir (to be a martyr). But it might be helpful to consider what couples in the US whose marriages survived a crisis have to say? They said that even in the worst circumstances, they never entertained the possibility of divorce.

Let’s now talk about perseverance and endurance.

Viktor Frankl wrote a book, “Man’s Search for Meaning”. In that book he re-lated his experience in an extermination camp in World War II. He witnessed how prisoners killed themselves by running towards the electrified fence of the camp. But he saw others who struggled to survive. He discovered that these were the ones who had a reason to live. One common reason was that after the war they had to bring back their family together. In order to persevere and endure, one must have a reason.

One man had been working in a hotel in Saudi Arabia for many years. He wrote to his wife, telling her that he was already tired and lonely there, but he had to keep on working until all their children (six of them) finished college.

A woman wanted to be the first woman to swim across the English Channel. The day for the attempt was foggy. Everything went well until the last kilometer. Her parents were encouraging her to go on. But she signalled to be taken on board the accompanying boat. When interviewed, she said that if only she could see the land ahead, she would have made it. She made a second attempt. This time she succeeded. The difference? There was no fog. She could see land ahead. In order to persevere and endure, we have to see that we are moving towards the goal. Merong nangyayari (our efforts are effective).

Don Bosco said that one important element in making a good confession is to make a specific resolution. For example, if there is nothing good I can say about a person, I will just keep quiet. What should I do so that I do not get tired of keeping this resolution every day? At the end of the day, I should look for at least one successful implementation of the resolution.

Can you bring 200 kilos of brick to a spot 50 meter away? Yes, you can. Carry only 10 kilos. And after 20 trips, you would have transferred all the bricks to that spot 50 meters away. The secret is in dividing the task into smaller, man-ageable chunks.

I am studying at present. I am taking up 10 subjects. In the beginning I felt overwhelmed. The school work was heavy. There was so much to do and the time was not enough. What did I do? If there was a homework to be passed on a certain date, I counted how many days I had. I then divided the homework among those days. The work for each day was lighter and therefore, easier to complete.

Let’s go back to the 200 kilos of brick. There’s another way to make the task easier to complete. Ask someone’s help. Instead of making 20 trips, the two of you can do just 10 trips. What is my point? It’s easier to persevere until the end when you know you are not alone. It is easier not to give up when you know that God is by your side.

That is why faith is so important.


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The Salesians of Don Bosco is a religious congregation of priests and brothers dedicated to the welfare of the young. If you feel called by God to give your life for the good of the young, you may want help in discovering if this is really God's will for you. Please get in touch with the Vocation Director (Don Bosco North Province, Philippines) - 0917-7930112 - finvoc@yahoo.com - Bro. MON CALLO SDB.