Our weekday readings at Mass for the 33rd and 34th weeks, the final weeks  of the church year, are from the Book of Revelation, which describes the last days when God fulfills his promise of a kingdom. The Gospel readings for these weekdays are from Luke 17-21, also about the coming of God’s kingdom.

The Book of Revelation is a hard book to understand. John, writing from the prison island of Patmos to the churches of Asia Minor, uses strong, imaginative and apocalyptic images to picture the final triumph of Christ over Satan. John tells the churches to be alert. The kingdom is coming soon.

John borrows from Jewish apocalyptic writings, Daniel, Ezechiel and others, and he writes to give hope and warn a people in crisis, suffering like him. Commentators say he is possibly a disciple of John, the apostle, whom tradition associates with the church in Asia Minor, and they date the book to the time of a Roman persecution under the Emperor Domitian (A.D. 81–96).

Other commentators question whether the book responds to a persecution under Domitian. Instead, they see Revelation directed against Christians throughout Asia Minor who have become too much at home in Roman society, following the approach seen in the Pastoral Epistles of Paul. To John, the Asia Minor churches have lost their zeal for the gospel and he warns them about their increasing mediocrity. (cf. Revelation, Wilfrid J. Harrington, OP, Sacra Pagina, Liturgical Press 1993)

We are invited in Revelations to look to God’s glory in heaven’s court, resplendent with gems and other traditional symbols expressing God’s majesty. A great assembly praises God “who created all things” and the triumphant Christ, the Lamb who was slain, who reveals the plan of God:

“Worthy are you, O Lord, to receive the scroll
and break open its seals,
for you were slain and by your Blood you purchased for God
those from every tribe and tongue, people and nation.
You made them a kingdom and priests for our God,
and they will reign on earth.” (Revelation 12,10-12)

Our medieval illustration above presents the church on earth prayerfully fixed on Christ in glory; a green road, the tree of life, is bent to provide the way to glory. The writer of Revelation is not concerned with living comfortably here on earth. Christ is not just an earthly companion seeing us through the day; he calls us to a life beyond this.

“‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock.
If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,
then I will enter his house and dine with him,
and he with me. I will give the victor the right to sit with me on my throne,
as I myself first won the victory.
and sit with my Father on his throne.” ( Revelation 3, 14)

The best commentators on scripture are the scriptures themselves, St. Augustine taught, and so as we see from Luke’s Gospel read with the Book of Revelation Jesus calls sinners as he makes his way to Jerusalem then dies on the cross. He never tells Zachaeus the publican to give up his job. He warns against burying your talent in the ground while the Master’s not here. He also says not to search into the time and the day the Son of Man will come. Keep your eye on the daily cross that’s yours.

But Jesus also told us he’s coming again.

Luke’s narrative of  Jesus’ last journey to Jerusalem, which we’re reading this week, summarizes his whole ministry. It’s a  journey of mercy.

Like Mark and Matthew, Luke says that on his last journey to Jerusalem Jesus passed through Jericho and then took the road up to the Holy City about 20 miles away. At Jericho he met a blind man asking him to cure his blindness. Calling  him over, Jesus gave him back his sight, and the blind man followed him.

 Luke adds a story not found in Mark and Matthew. Jericho’s chief tax-collector, Zachaeus, wants to see Jesus, but because he’s a short man, he has to climb a sycamore tree to get a glimpse of him. Calling him down, Jesus not only speaks with him but asks to stay in his house.

The two stories summarize Jesus’ activity in Galilee where he cured and reconciled so many. Luke’s gospel has been called the Gospel of the Outcasts because Jesus reaches out to so many like them. He brings salvation. As the name implies, outcasts can be hard to take, but Jesus embraced them all. 

Jesus doesn’t take control of the lives of the blind man or the tax-collector either. He doesn’t ask for anything from the wealthy chief-tax collector except a day’s hospitality. He doesn’t tell him to quit his job and get another one. He usually told those he healed, like the bind man, to go back to their families and do what they did before. Maybe he had no home to go to, but the blind man followed Jesus up to Jerusalem. 

In Jericho years ago I took a picture of a sycamore tree in Jericho’s town square. Was it like the one Zachaeus climbed? Could the picture of the road sign (above) be where the blind man sat when he heard Jesus was passing by? 

For this week’s homily please watch the video below.

33rd Sun b

“The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.” “It shall be a time unsurpassed in distress since nations began until that time.” 

We’ll hear words like this in the gospels of Mark and Luke, Revelation and the Book of Daniel, in our readings at Mass for the next few weeks.  They’re apocalyptic writings that appear in the scriptures when something is beyond our comprehension, something so big that only the biggest and most dramatic words try to describe it.

Apocalyptic language is used when the earth and the universe itself seem to be turned upside down. That occurs when Jesus dies and rises from the dead.

In the 13th chapter of St. Mark. Jesus and his disciples arrive in Jerusalem where he will be put to death and rise from the dead, an event that will change the course of history and bring a new promise of life to the world itself. How describe it?  

The disciples were not thinking of his suffering and death as they arrive in Jerusalem;  their attention is on something else. One of his disciples points to the temple: ‘Look, teacher, what stones and what buildings!’ 

He pointed out the magnificent new temple begun by Herod the Great, one of history’s great builders. The new temple, a wonder of its time, stood in Jerusalem, the place of their dreams. 

To the disciples of Jesus a picture of what Israel could be was before them. In the newly built temple they saw a flourishing Israel and also a promise of human flourishing. This was what the world could be. 

“Do you see these great buildings? There will not be one stone left upon another that will not be thrown down.” Jesus told his disciples, pointing out not only the impermanence  of  Jerusalem and its temple, but also the impermanence of all human civilizations. 

The temple of Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in the year 70 AD;  the Roman Empire itself  came to an end a few centuries later.

Jesus spoke of human impermanence. At the same time he pointed to another future, God’s future, God’s kingdom, greater than any we can imagine. 

Like his disciples, we hold on to our earthly dreams. How difficult for us to make our own the words of this Sunday’s responsorial psalm. “You are my inheritance, O Lord.” 

“Learn a lesson from the fig tree.
When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves,
you know that summer is near.
In the same way, when you see these things happening,
know that he is near, at the gates.”

Let’s not overlook this simple teaching of Jesus. He tells us to learn from the natural world which now enters its winter sleep but comes to life again as summer draws near. Another world awaits us.

Finally, this section of the scriptures, rich in apocalyptic language, prepares us for reading the scriptural  accounts of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Mark’s final words describing Jesus death begins: 

“At noon darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  Jesus’ words about the days when “the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light” are fulfilled.

“The veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom.” Mark announces as Jesus breathes his last breath. 

“The earth quaked, rocks were split, tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And coming forth from their tombs after his resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many.” Matthew adds.  (Mat 27: 51-53)