The first reading, from the book of the prophet Malachi, speaks of this day of reckoning, burning like an oven, that will burn up evil doers and the arrogant.
We, I think, can all relate to what a burning oven looks and feels like, especially as the temperatures are getting colder. If you really fire up a wood stove, stoke it up with good hardwood, then it can get so hot, that you can’t even touch it without getting burned. Imagine being inside the stove itself. This is a frightening thought; however, the Lord does not want to frighten or scare us, for the sake of fear itself; the Lord, in His immense charity and concern, and love for each and every person, wants to help us realize that the way we live in this life will have consequences in the life to come, in life eternal. This is why those who revere the Lord’s name, can expect a sunrise with “healing in its wings”.
As a second-century Christian writer put it, “You must know…that the day of judgement, like a flaming furnace, is already approaching…All that each man has done, whether openly or in secret, will then be brought to light” (The Liturgy of the Hours, vol. 4, pg. 526). Our hidden intentions, whether in doing good or evil, will be made public. For many of us here, we have a little “day of judgement” and a little day of “healing in its wings” every time that we approach the Sacrament of Confession. Blessed are those who approach this sacrament with faithfulness and regularity. There, we go through the purifying fire of having to admit to our sins, of having to lay bare the intentions of our hearts, in front of the priest, another human being. At the same time, we receive healing on the wings of forgiveness, as the priest gives us absolution in the name of God the Father, through Christ, in the Holy Spirit.
The second reading contains St. Paul’s very simple, very direct exhortation to work: those “unwilling to work should not eat”. The words are very clear: those “unwilling” to work – not unable, because of old age or illness; not those making an honest effort to look for work, to find stable employment; but those who are not willing to work. As Christians, we look to the Second Coming of Christ our Saviour, and we anticipate life in heaven. However, we still have obligations toward our earthly city, toward this place we call our present home. Gaudium et Spes spells it out: “They are mistaken who, knowing that we have here no abiding city but seek one which is to come, think that they may therefore shirk their earthly responsibilities. For they are forgetting that by the faith itself they are more obliged than ever to measure up to these duties, each according to his proper vocation” (GS 43). St. Basil writes on much the same theme: “[I]t is very evident that we should work earnestly and well. Nor is it fitting to presume that our desire of serving God gives us an excuse for being idle, or for avoiding labour…For this way of living is profitable to us, not only for the mortification of our bodies, but also because of charity towards our neighbour” (The Sunday Sermons of the Great Fathers, M.F. Toal ed., 1963, vol.4, p.98). There is real value and dignity in work. By working, we assist our weaker brothers and sisters, fulfill the duties of our state of life, and provide for the needs of our families. There is a story of a seminarian in the Oblate seminary in Obra, Poland. This story has now become the stuff of Oblate legend. You see, it was time to go out into the fields, to bring in the harvest, and this seminarian said to his confreres, as they were leaving for work, “Brothers, I’ll be in spiritual communion with you. You work, I’ll pray for you in the chapel”. Someone told him wisely and firmly: “Brother, there is time to pray in the chapel, and there is time to work in the fields. Now, it is time to work in the fields. Come!”
In the Gospel, Jesus seeks to take away, to alleviate some of the anxiety which accompanies believers waiting for his Second Coming. First of all, our Lord instructs his disciples to not trust those who are claiming, “I am he”, for when Christ returns in glory, the whole world will know. There will be no possibility of not knowing, of remaining ignorant. As St. Jerome put it, “His Second Coming shall not be in lowliness, as was His first; but proclaimed in glory. It is folly, therefore, to look in small and obscure places for Him who is the Light of the whole world” (The Sunday Sermons of the Great Fathers, M.F. Toal ed., 1963, vol.4, p.335). Secondly, Jesus tells his disciples, facing persecution, that in moments when they are called to witness in front of kings, governors, judges – he Himself, with the Father, through the Holy Spirit, coming from them both, will provide the testimony. A testimony that no one will be able to contradict.
Two years ago, Pope Francis asked that the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Sunday before the Solemnity of Christ the King, be observed as the World Day of the Poor. The Pope included these words in his message for today: “We can never elude the urgent appeal that Scripture makes on behalf of the poor. Wherever we look, the word of God points to the poor, those who lack the necessities of life because they depend on others. They are the oppressed, the lowly and the downcast. Yet, faced with countless throngs of the poor, Jesus was not afraid to identify with each of them: ‘Whatever you did to one of the least of these my brethren, you did to me’ (Mt 25:40). If we refuse to make this identification, we falsify the Gospel and water down God’s revelation” (Pope Francis, Message for World Day of the Poor 2019, 5). As we make a special effort, in charity, to be mindful of the lonely, the oppressed, and the downcast, let us also remember, in gratitude, to give thanks for the food on our tables; the heat in our homes; the roof over our heads; the various opportunities we have for education, leisure and rest. Not all are so privileged.
“Already the final age of the world has come upon us and the renovation of the world is irrevocably decreed and is already anticipated in some kind of a real way” (LG 48). These words are from Lumen Gentium. We await the day of the Lord, burning like an oven, when the secret thoughts and intentions of all will be made public. We await Christ’s coming in glory, as we go about, being faithful to our responsibilities, working and not being idle. We go through some trials and tribulations. We have opportunities to show charity to the poor. But we are not to be anxious. The Lord has overcome the world. Amen.
(Fr. Pawel Ratajczak, OMI, Nov. 17, 2019)