33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
November 16, 2025
We must develop perseverance in the face of the unknown.
Luke 21:5-19
When some were talking about the Temple, remarking how it was adorned with fine stonework and votive offerings, he said, “All these things you are staring at now -- the time will come when not a single stone will be left on another; everything will be destroyed.” And they put to him this question, “Master,” they said, “when will this happen, then, and what sign will there be that it is about to take place?” But he said, “Take care not to be deceived, because many will come using my name and saying, ‘I am the one,’ and, ‘The time is near at hand.’ Refuse to join them. And when you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be terrified, for this is something that must happen first, but the end will not come at once.” Then he said to them, “Nation will fight against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes and plagues and famines in various places; there will be terrifying events and great signs from heaven. But before all this happens, you will be seized and persecuted; you will be handed over to the synagogues and to imprisonment, and brought before kings and governors for the sake of my name, and that will be your opportunity to bear witness. Make up your minds not to prepare your defense, because I myself shall give you an eloquence and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relations and friends; and some of you will be put to death. You will be hated universally on account of my name, but not a hair of your head will be lost. Your perseverance will win you your lives.”
REFLECTIONS ON THE GOSPEL
First Impressions by Jude Siciliano, OP
Malachi 3: 19-20
Psalm 98
2 Thessalonians 3: 7-12
Luke 21: 5-19
We are approaching the end of the Church year – and something is afoot. It is more than just a calendar event; as the opening lines of our first reading from the prophet Malachi make clear: “Lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven, when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble….” Malachi was one of the last of the twelve Minor Prophets. He wrote in the fifth century BC, after the exiles had returned from captivity. His name means “my messenger.” He was addressing a spiritually lax community of returned exiles in Judah, calling both priests and people back to fidelity to God’s covenant. His message seems fitting for our own times as well. In addition, the prophet announces the coming of the “day of the Lord.” The images of fire and burning stubble symbolize God’s judgment. The world coasts along, committing acts of injustice against the poor, and it may seem to some that no one is held accountable. Does God even notice or care? Malachi stands in the prophetic tradition from Joel to Zephaniah, who describe “the day of the Lord” as both terrifying and decisive. Yet the reading ends on a note of hope: “But for you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays.” This is one of the most beautiful images in prophetic literature. It assures the faithful that, despite appearances, God has indeed noticed the plight of the oppressed. For them, liberation and joy will dawn. The early Church saw this as a messianic prophecy pointing to Christ—and rightly so. The first readings at our Eucharists are chosen in light of the Gospel. Usually, the first reading anticipates the fulfillment found in the Gospel. So, today the two share a common prophetic theme: the coming “day of the Lord,” carrying twin messages of judgment and hope. In the Gospel, Jesus speaks to people admiring the beauty and adornment of the Temple, with its “costly stones and votive offerings.” They seem distracted by the externals of religion as they gaze in awe at the building. Jesus, echoing Malachi’s sober voice, offers a wake-up call to those lost in superficial religion: “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.” Those gazing in awe at the Temple would have thought it eternal, yet Jesus warns, “not one stone will be left upon another.” It is not only a prediction of the Temple’s destruction; Jesus also warns of false prophets, wars, and persecution. But is God planning to destroy because of false prophets and persecution? Is this simply Malachi’s “day of wrath”? Neither Malachi nor Luke proclaims a God intent on destruction, but rather a God who purifies and renews. On that “day blazing like an oven,” Malachi envisions healing and freedom for the faithful. Jesus, foreseeing trials, wars, persecution, and loss, calls his followers to steadfast trust: “By your perseverance you will secure your lives.” We live amid uncertainty, and our world often seems on the verge of collapse – politically, morally, or personally. Our prophetic readings urge us to stand firm and trust in the Lord. Times of judgment and crisis may feel like the end, but they also herald God’s transforming light. There are many ways we can experience the turmoil Malachi and Jesus describe – not only in great historical events, but in the “small endings” of our personal worlds. Today, the structures of society and leadership can appear unstable or unjust: wars, corruption, the erosion of trust in institutions, and social upheaval. As the people of Jesus’ time viewed the Temple as secure—the very center of Israel’s identity—so too we may cling to what once felt stable. Yet the Gospel reminds us that while human power fades, God’s reign endures. This truth reaches into our personal lives as well. There are “small apocalypses” when life feels shaken – by illness, betrayal, failure, or deep change. In such moments, Jesus assures us that God remains constant, even when everything else feels uncertain. At times we may experience collapse and loss. In those moments, Malachi’s image of purifying fire and Christ’s call to endurance remind us that faith – not fear – is our sure foundation. As the change in tone of our recent readings indicates, the liturgical year is drawing to a close. The Scriptures remind us that we already know the side God has taken and that present injustices will not have the final word. As we await God’s resolution, we continue, as best we can, to live faithfully, to do God’s will, and to stand with God against injustice. After all, has not the “sun of justice” already risen upon us and illuminated our path?
God’s Word is Alive!: Entering the Sunday Readings by Alice L. Camille
(Mystic, CT: Twenty-Third Publications), 1998. ISBN0-89622-926-2, page 352.
“Lo the day is coming”
Though his writings were brief, Malachi was important enough to be quoted by Jesus to clarify the role of John the Baptist (see Malachi 3:1 and Matthew 11: 10) as the messenger of preparation for judgment. And the day of judgment is coming, Malachi insists. Those who fear God will come out ahead of those who surrender to a skeptical and uncommitted age. So how does one prepare for the judgment? My Pentecostal friends in college would make us laugh by staging a “rapture drill,” referring to the belief that the Second Coming of Christ would include a snatching up to the heavens of those who were saved before the destruction of the earth. During this drill, my friends would stand with their arms raised, waiting to be “snatched up.” The point of the humor was, of course, that one cannot prepare for such an unearthly event, that the real test of readiness is the way we live in relationship to God and others every day.
Justice Bulletin Board by Barbara Molinari Quinby, MPS, Director Office of Human Life, Dignity, and Justice Ministries
Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral Raleigh, NC
There will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays.—Malachi 3:20
Across our country during November, envelopes are provided to parishioners to help finance the work of CCHD (Catholic Campaign for Human Development). The 52-year-old CCHD is justice and charity in action through the Church. CCHD funds local community groups that work to change the systems that keep them in poverty. Work is being done to fight poverty at its roots in places that offer inadequate education, tolerate unaffordable housing, and turn away from communities in need. Through CCHD and its beneficiaries, we manifest Catholic social teaching of the preferential option for the poor thus carrying out Jesus’ mission to “bring glad tidings to the poor. . .release to captives. . .sight to the blind, let the oppressed go free” (Lk 4:18). CCHD is the official domestic anti-poverty agency of the U.S. Catholic Bishops and works to break the cycle of poverty by helping people help themselves. Consider these words of Bishop Timothy C. Senior, Chairman, CCHD Subcommittee United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: CCHD empowers the powerless to make their communities better. It helps residents to think about neighborhood problems, propose solutions, and advocate effectively with local leaders and elected officials to make those changes happen. CCHD is designed to put Catholic social teaching into action, helping the poorest of the poor use the gifts that God has given them to improve their communities and care for those around them. Right now, in the United States, 38 million people are classified by the federal government as living in poverty with 1.5 million children experiencing homelessness in a given year. A lot of factors can send a family below the poverty line—and keep others there who are already poor, such as a lack of adequate housing, health insurance or a living wage, underfunded education systems, challenging family environments, and racism. CCHD is made possible by the support of Catholics in the United States, especially through this annual parish collection. Grants to local anti-poverty efforts are screened, awarded and monitored in partnership with local dioceses and require the approval of the diocesan bishop. Your support during the November collection this weekend will create lasting change. Make your check payable to Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral for CCHD Collection. Be a ray of healing.
Faith Book — Mini-reflections on the Sunday scripture readings designed for persons on the run. “Faith Book” is also
brief enough to be posted in the Sunday parish bulletins people take home.
From today’s Gospel reading: Jesus said to his disciples, “You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”
Reflection: The end time may still be far off, but Christians are persecuted right up to this present time. We can be reassured that even as we suffer for our faith, in big ways, or daily smaller trials, Christ has not left us on our own.
So, we ask ourselves:
What is the daily cost to you of being a disciple of Jesus?
If it doesn’t cost, then why not?
Postcards to Death-Row Inmates
“One has to strongly affirm that condemnation to the death penalty is an inhuman measure that humiliates personal dignity, in whatever form it is carried out.” —Pope Francis
“Can you imagine what it’s like to have your boy on death row? Can you imagine what it’s like to visit him there every Saturday and tell him, ‘I love you. I’ll see you next week,’ when you never know if they’re going to call and say, ‘He’s up next—it’s time for his execution.”’ —Jeanetter Johnson, Mother of Alan Gell, who was retried and found innocent because prosecutors withheld evidence that might have cleared him of first-degree murder. [The News and Observer, February 15, 2004, Raleigh, NC]
Inmates on death row are the most forgotten people in the prison system. Each week I am posting in this space several inmates’ names and locations. I invite you to write a postcard to one or more of them to let them know that: we have not forgotten them; are praying for them and their families; or whatever personal encouragement you might like to give them. If the inmate responds, you might consider becoming pen pals.
Please write to:
Wesley T. Smith #0765397 (on death row since 5/29/2002
John H. Thompson #0406487 (11/14/2002)
Terry More #0290634 (6/14/2003)
Central Prison, P.O. 247 Phoenix, MD 21131
Please note: Central Prison is in Raleigh, NC., but for security purposes, mail to inmates is processed through a clearing house at the above address in Maryland. For more information on the Catholic position on the death penalty go to the Catholic Mobilizing Network: http://catholicsmobilizing.org
Commentary on Luke 21:5-19 by Gilberto A. Ruiz
Whenever a disaster strikes, it doesn’t take long for some prominent Christians to blame it on the secularization or moral permissiveness of society. On a September 13, 2001, appearance on The 700 Club, Rev. Jerry Falwell blamed the 9/11 terrorist attacks on certain groups and organizations he characterized as promoting “an alternative lifestyle” and trying to “secularize America.” Austrian priest Rev. Gerhard Wagner wrote in a 2005 parish newsletter that Hurricane Katrina resulted from the indescribable amoral conditions of New Orleans. Recently, the Westboro Baptist Church has attained notoriety for this line of thinking. Anyone who wants to justify their belief that God uses wars and natural disasters to punish people for “attacking” Christianity can find material in Luke 21:5-19 to support this view. This passage presents Jesus predicting the Jerusalem temple’s destruction (vv. 5-6) as well as more general catastrophes (vv. 7-10) that are preceded by an intense persecution of Christians (vv. 12-19). I propose, however, that we take a closer look at the different sections of 21:5-19 to see if other, more compelling readings are possible. By the time Luke puts the finishing touches on these verses, the temple’s destruction has already happened. Luke’s Gospel is dated to about 85 ce, 15 years or so after the destruction of the Jerusalem temple by the Romans in 70 ce, which means that for Luke’s readers what Jesus says in Luke 21:5-6 is more a reflection on the temple’s destruction than a prediction of it. Luke uses the destruction of this magnificent temple to make a statement on the impermanence of human achievement. In response to their wonder at the temple’s beauty, Jesus attempts to divert the attention of his audience from their fascination with “these things that you see” (21:6). Their focus should be on something else. What, exactly, is not specified, but immediately before this exchange Jesus drew attention to a poor widow in the temple (21:1-4). Perhaps Luke’s Jesus thinks his audience should focus their attention on the poor, not on the temple building. Those listening to Jesus teach in the temple, however, remain concerned with what will happen to the building (Luke 21:7). In response, Jesus moves from discussing a specific catastrophic event to more general statements about the coming of false prophets, wars, and other calamities (21:7-12). Here Luke employs language and imagery that is conventional in apocalyptic literature from this period (for example Daniel 11:20, 25, 44; 4 Ezra 13:31; Revelation 6:12; 8:5; 11:13, 19; 16:18). As readers we now have to decide how we are going to interpret Luke 21:7-12. Are we going to read these as literal predictions of Jesus, or are we going to read this section in light of the aims of apocalyptic literature? If a story begins “Once upon a time,” do we take literally the story’s events, or do we adjust our expectations because we recognize it as a fairy tale that is trying to entertain even as it conveys a moral or lesson? The decision we have to make in reading Luke 21:7-11 is similar. A specific genre (apocalyptic) is introduced, meaning we should adopt the interpretive lenses that help us understand this genre on its own terms. Apocalyptic literature uses unsettling language and imagery as a means to assure the faithful that they should keep their trust in God even when facing the most challenging of circumstances. Sure enough, while describing the terrible events, Jesus tells his listeners not to be afraid (Luke 21:9). There is nothing particularly original or specific about Jesus’ “predictions” here. Everyage has its own false prophets, wars, natural catastrophes, and so on. We will misread 21:7-11 if we think Jesus is describing a specific set of calamities. The point is that when bad things happen — and they will — we should “not be terrified” (21:9) or follow anyone proclaiming these are signs of God’s judgment and the end (21:8). Instead, we should trust that God remains present in our lives. That assurance of God’s faithfulness to us in the face of difficult times is the real concern of this passage is confirmed by Luke 21:12-19. Jesus details the persecution that his followers can expect to face: arrests; persecution; trials before government authorities; betrayal by family and friends; hatred on account of Jesus’ name; and even execution. Throughout his Gospel, Luke depicts Jesus as a prophetic figure who risks rejection and death as a result of his prophetic message (see especially Luke 4:16-30). Anyone who follows Jesus can expect the same hostility that Jesus and Israel’s great prophets endured. Indeed, the Acts of the Apostles (written by the same author who wrote Luke’s Gospel) provides numerous examples of early Christian leaders facing precisely the sort of troubles that Jesus describes in 21:12-19. But does Jesus in Luke 21:12-19 tell his audience they should lay blame on a particular person or group of people, on their society, or even on their enemies, for such treatment? No. He says that persecution is “an opportunity to testify” (21:13). Just as God gave Moses and other prophets the capacity to speak to and confront their doubters and opponents (for example Exodus 6:28-7:13; Jeremiah 1:6-10), Jesus himself will provide strength and wisdom for such testimony (Luke 21:15). Using a proverb that signifies divine protection, Jesus tells them that not a hair on their head will perish (Luke 21:18; see also 1 Samuel 14:45; 2 Samuel 14:11; 1 Kings 1:52). Ultimately, their experience of persecution will not end in death but in a victory for their souls (Luke 21:19). Underscoring all of these statements in 21:12-19 is the importance of trusting in God even in the midst of hardship and persecution. A close reading of Luke 21:5-19 shows that using this passage as a springboard for proclaiming God’s judgment on society would miss the point. Rather, the passage warns us about becoming too fixated on temporary human institutions, perhaps with the implication that we should attend to the poor in our communities instead (21:5-6; see also 21:1-4), and it exhorts us to be firm in our trust in God when calamity and persecution strike (21:7-19). Despite its language and imagery of destruction, Luke 21:5-19 is ultimately a passage grounded in hope — in the hope that God remains present in the world and in one’s life even when things have gotten so bad that it feels like the world is closing in on us.
Notes:
1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-CAcdta_8I
2 http://www.cbsnews.com/news/pope-rescinds-hiring-of-katrina-priest/
3 Joseph A. Fitzmyer, The Gospel According to Luke (X–XXIV), Anchor Bible 28A (New York: Doubleday, 1985), 1336-1337.
4 See R. Alan Culpepper, “The Gospel of Luke,” in The New Interpreter’s Bible 9 (Nashville: Abingdon, 1995), 400-402.
5 Fitzmyer, Luke, 1341.
Commentary on Luke 21:20-28
Jesus continues his warnings of what is to come. It is a blending of what is going to happen to Jerusalem and of the end of all things. The images are mainly biblical and apocalyptic, taken from Old Testament prophecies and not to be seen as an accurate description of what is actually going to happen some 40 years later. The sign that the end was near would be Jerusalem surrounded by armies accompanied by the “desolating sacrilege” (see Matt 24:15). Nevertheless, it is true that Jerusalem was encircled by the armies of Rome. The safest place to be was in the surrounding hills, not in the city, which was reduced to rubble. Jesus is emphasising not so much the actual events, but rather their cause—the faithlessness and corruption of so many for which destruction was the inescapable outcome. So he calls them the “days of vengeance”, a time of punishment not indicating God’s revenge, but the natural result of evil and corruption, warnings of which the Scripture, especially the prophets, are full. See, for example, Isaiah 63:4; Jeremiah 5:29, Hosea 9:7; and especially, Daniel 9:26-27: Desolations are decreed. He [King Antiochus] shall make a strong covenant with many [faithless Jews] for one week, and for half of the week [three and a half years] he shall make sacrifice and offering cease, and in their place shall be a desolating sacrilege until the decreed end is poured out upon the desolator. The temple was desecrated by Antiochus from 167 to 165 BC. The “desolating sacrilege” perhaps refers to an inscription placed on the portal of the temple dedicating it to the Olympian Zeus. All of this, of course, was to be repeated. And in many ways, has been repeated again and again—recall, for example, the statue of a nude woman set up as a deity in the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris during the French Revolution. What follows from verse 23 is more relevant to the destruction of Jerusalem: Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those days! It will be a time of great distress. Many will be cut down and others will be led away into captivity to pagan territories (the Romans liked to parade their prisoners in a victory march in Rome). The holy city itself, its Temple in ruins, will be trampled on by Gentiles—a fate it still experiences. This will happen:
…until the times of the nations are fulfilled. For, as Paul indicates in his letter to the Romans (11:25-29), it is the Gentiles who have taken the place of the Jews as the bearers of the Good News and the builders of the Kingdom. But Paul believed that the age of the Gentiles would only end with the return of Israel and the reconciliation of all in Christ Jesus as Lord. It is an indefinite period, and it is still in process. Our God is an all-inclusive God, and a patient God. Finally, Jesus speaks of various cataclysmic and apocalyptic signs to signal the end of time. They are typical biblical phenomena and not meant to be taken as exact foretelling of events. They conclude with Daniel’s vision: Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. It is not intended to fill people with fear and trembling, except perhaps those who have lived wicked lives. But for the disciples, the loyal followers of Jesus, it is a time to: …stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. As we saw in yesterday’s Gospel, sufferings and tribulations are part and parcel of living the Christian life to the full. Our message and our vision is a ‘sign of contradiction’, a beacon of light to many and to others a threat to be radically uprooted. But for those who have tried to live by the vision and values of the Gospel, for those who have tried to seek and find Jesus in all the people and events of their lives, who have spent hours with him in intimate dialogue, it is the time of their final liberation, a time when there will be no more sorrows, no more tears, no more hardships, no more disappointments. Rather, they will be entering an unbroken time of love and intimacy, of freedom and peace, of joy and consolation. So, as we approach the end of another liturgical year, we do so on an upbeat note.
PREPARATION FOR THE SESSION
Adapted from Sacred Space: The Prayer Book 2025
Presence of God: Jesus, As I come to you today, fill my heart, my whole being, with the wonder of your sacred presence. Help me to become more aware of your presence in my life, and more receptive to that presence. I desire to love you as you love me. May nothing ever separate me from you. ( 1-2 minutes of silence)
Freedom: Jesus, Grant me the grace to have freedom of spirit. Keep me from being bound by desires and actions that are not good for me or others. Cleanse my heart and soul that I may live joyously in your love. ( 1-2 minutes of silence)
Consciousness: Where am I with God? With others in my life? What am I grateful for? Is there something I am sorry for, words or actions that have hurt others, and which I now regret? I take a moment to ask forgiveness of God and of those whom I have hurt. God, I give you thanks for your constant love and care for me. Keep me always aware of your presence in my life. (2-3 minutes of silence)
OPENING PRAYER
Lord, help me to get my priorities straight. Help me to see the transitory nature of so many of my goals and desires, my frustrations and resentments. I waste so much of my time and emotions building temples to success and achievement that will soon be torn down in my life to come. Teach me to focus on your enduring message and let go of things that do not really matter.
COMPANIONS FOR THE JOURNEY
From time to time someone predicts that the world is going to end on such-and-such a date. These predictions are typically greeted with a mixture of fear, ridicule and bemusement. In New Testament times many people seemed to have been concerned, if not with the end of the world, then at least with the dramatic arrival of God’s kingdom and the totally new situation that might accompany it. Today’s Old Testament readings can help us get a sense of these expectations. Psalm 98, originally composed for the liturgical celebration of the kingship of God at the Temple in Jerusalem, came to be understood as prophesying the dramatic future intervention of God in human history and the establishing of a kingdom of justice for all. Likewise, in Malachi 3 the early biblical motif of “the day of the Lord” is pictured in dramatic imagery (“blazing like an oven”) and as bringing about the future destruction of evildoers and the proud. Even more detailed and graphic scenarios of the coming reign of God can be found in Jewish apocalyptic writings and in the Synoptic Gospels. Today’s selection from Jesus’ apocalyptic discourse in Luke 21 presupposes such beliefs and images. In this situation Jesus responds as the prophet of God, a theme developed throughout this Gospel. As God’s prophet, Jesus warns against false prophets who pretend to know the details of God’s plan, gives hints of the events or signs that will accompany the coming of God’s kingdom in its fullness and warns about coming persecutions and even divisions within families.. This selection from Luke 21 ends with a sentence that is unique to Luke’s version of the apocalyptic discourse, “By your perseverance you will secure your lives.” The word translated as “perseverance” is sometimes rendered as “patience” or “endurance.” These are not popular virtues in 21st-century America. We want fast food, fast cars and fast computers. We have short attention spans; and we communicate in sound bites, e-mails and instant messages. The kind of perseverance recommended in today’s Gospel text, however, is not apathy or laziness or timidity. In the biblical concept of perseverance there is an element of active resistance in the face of opposition. It is inspired by confidence and hope in God. Hope and perseverance are two sides of the same coin. Hope without perseverance is anxiety and ends in madness. Perseverance without hope leads to resignation, fatalism and indifference. As Christians we hope for the full coming of God’s kingdom, the resurrection of the dead, the last judgment and just rewards and punishments. We expect that these events all will come about in God’s own time and way. In the mean time we try to conduct our lives as people of faith, hope and love, fully aware of the fragility of human existence and of the world around us. In the midst of fast-paced change, we need the biblical kind of patience and perseverance to live one day at a time, seizing the moment and living it to its fullness, all the while moving forward in hope to eternal life in God’s kingdom. By Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., Professor of New Testament Studies at Weston, Mass
LIVING THE GOOD NEWS
What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion? Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions which follow:
Reflection Questions
How important to Jesus was the Temple in Jerusalem?
What, in my mind, is God’s “temple”?
If I am God’s temple, do any of these predictions apply to me, and what are the implications of such an idea?
What are some contemporary “temples”?
Do some institutions and systems of modern western culture represent evil temples to others of different cultures?
What might some of them be? (the Twin Towers for example)
Do we fear that some of them might be brought down?
What does it mean to me when I hear that the world as we humans know it is not the last stage of Salvation History?
Why does the world have to end?
Does it matter for me to know the timing of the end of the world?
How do I react when I hear predictions about the end of the world as we know it?
How can we be “ready”?
What does Jesus say about taking literally such signs of the end of the world?
Why do we continue to do so?
What privileges, possession or way of life might I lose in an upending of the world’s values?
How does a contemplation of end times comfort or frighten you?
When my world is falling apart, and the usual supports are not there for me, what do I do?
What are some current symbols of God’s abiding presence in your life? (Rev Paul Gallagher, OFM)
How can I thank those who have been a "sun of justice" and brought "healing rays" in my dark moments?
What is the role of faith (trust) in the contemplation of end times?
What does it mean to live faithful lives while we await a reign of justice?
Where do we meet Christ in our lives?
How can we go through all sorts of problems as disciples of Jesus and not have a “hair of our head” harmed?
Define perseverance.
How does the current world situation—the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, persecution of immigrant peoples, rising prices and food shortages for the poorest on the planet, illness—demand perseverance?
Describe a time in your life when you had to persevere in the face of difficulties. In what areas do you need to grow in perseverance and patience?
From Rev Paul Gallagher, OFM: Are there experiences in your life that have had dramatic effects on how you understand your life, your relationship to others, or God? Did you take your feelings at that time to God in your prayer?
In the poem “Hollow Men”, T. S. Eliot’s final lines are:
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.
What do you think Eliot meant?
CLOSING PRAYER
Don’t forget to provide some prayer time at the beginning and at the end of the session (or both), allowing time to offer prayers for anyone you wish to pray for.
From “Ash Wednesday” by T.S. Eliot
Blessèd sister, holy mother, spirit of the fountain, spirit
of the garden,
Suffer us not to mock ourselves with falsehood
Teach us to care and not to care
Teach us to sit still
Even among these rocks,
Our peace in His will
And even among these rocks
Sister, mother
And spirit of the river, spirit of the sea,
Suffer me not to be separated
And let my cry come unto Thee.
FOR THE WEEK AHEAD
Weekly Memorization: Taken from the gospel for today’s session…By your perseverance you will secure your lives.
Meditations:
A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions
Read Psalm 98 in its entirety. Then change the words around so that you address God personally. (I will sing a new song to you, Lord. You have done marvelous deeds) After each sentence reflect on what God has done for the world in general, and for you in particular. Write your own ending--just what do you want to happen when God once more governs the earth? What will be your role? What can you do to make the reign of God more possible here and now?
A Meditation in the Franciscan Style/ Action: (Adapted from Walter Burghardt S.J., in Lovely in Eyes Not His)
Christ has come and he will come again. But don’t live your life in a crib that has passed or on a cloud that is yet to arrive. Christ our Lord is here now. Not only in the word you have heard and in the bread that is broken. He comes to you in every human person that crosses your path, haunts your eye, beats your ear. He warms himself in the winter on the grates of Market Street, begs for shelter at the homeless missions, cries for your compassion behind bars. In slum and condo, he grows old and unwept. He bleeds not only in Gaza, but in every brutal rape, in every sneer or shoulder shrugged, in every student lonely amid campus laughter. He lies alone and afraid on every hospital bed. Dies again in each mother bereaved. And dear God, the children. From the skin-and-bones of the displaced children seeking asylum in our country and in Europe, through the thousands of battered bodies and shriveled souls that show up each year at places like Covenant House and Homeboy industries, to the uncounted victims of opioids and other drugs who “crash” on our streets. The end that Jesus foretold—we cannot hasten it and we cannot delay it. It will come in God’s own time. Today’s gospel is not a betting pool—put a buck in and guess when Christ is coming again. Instead, this gospel commits you to act as if Christ were already here—because he is. And you clearly find him here in our Eucharistic liturgies. But do you find him out there? Where do you personally find Christ? At Catholic Worker House or in your dorm room? At hospitals or detention centers? in prison on or vacation? Just open your eyes and you will find Jesus there. And if you have already discovered Christ out there—what must you do? Only you know the answer to that question.
Meditation in the Ignatian Style/Consideration:
Read the following from Luke 12:16-21: And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” For this farmer, it did not matter when the world was going to end; his world was ending way before he expected it. Has there ever been a time in your life when you behaved/made choices as if you were going to live forever? What can you do to remind yourself that your life is God’s?
A Meditation in the Augustinian Style/Relationship:
Jesus, who himself continued to pray and have hope in God, even as his world collapsed, has made a promise to us. He would not leave us on our own, but would send us his Spirit. We received that Spirit at our baptism. The Spirit is a persevering and praying Spirit within us. It enables us to be faithful no matter what world ends for us. The Spirit keeps us hope-filled when all we see in front of us is darkness and struggle. Is it hard to remember this? Why? What is the role of prayer for you as you face the challenges of life?
POETIC REFLECTION
Read the following poem by Robert Frost:
Fire and Ice
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
Walter Burghardt, S.J., in Lovely in Eyes Not His, said that there are two things that will destroy our world from within: Lust ( desire for power, possessions and need to determine what others do) and hatred—familial, cultural, racial, religious) Can you think of examples of both of these playing out in our lives today? In your mind which is currently the most dangerous?
Ash Wednesday—Part I by T.S. Eliot
Because I do not hope to turn again
Because I do not hope
Because I do not hope to turn
Desiring this man’s gift and that man’s scope
I no longer strive to strive towards such things
(Why should the agèd eagle stretch its wings?)
Why should I mourn
The vanished power of the usual reign?
Because I do not hope to know
The infirm glory of the positive hour
Because I do not think
Because I know I shall not know
The one veritable transitory power
Because I cannot drink
There, where trees flower, and springs flow, for there is
nothing again
Because I know that time is always time
And place is always and only place
And what is actual is actual only for one time
And only for one place
I rejoice that things are as they are and
I renounce the blessèd face
And renounce the voice
Because I cannot hope to turn again
Consequently I rejoice, having to construct something
Upon which to rejoice
And pray to God to have mercy upon us
And pray that I may forget
These matters that with myself I too much discuss
Too much explain
Because I do not hope to turn again
Let these words answer
For what is done, not to be done again
May the judgement not be too heavy upon us
Because these wings are no longer wings to fly
But merely vans to beat the air
The air which is now thoroughly small and dry
Smaller and dryer than the will
Teach us to care and not to care Teach us to sit still.
Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death
Pray for us now and at the hour of our death.
Further Reading:
Ash Wednesday---T.S. Eliot
Hollow Men—T.S. Eliot
