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33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time |
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| Background: Scriptural and Liturgical Reflection Today we begin our annual tour
through apocalyptic literature. Both Daniel and Mark describe the end times, the final
reckoning time when the Lord God and His Son Jesus will triumph over sin and death. The
apocalyptic writings are charged with poetry, metaphor, fantasy. We must not make the
mistake some of the fundamentalists do and interpret these passages literally. However, we
must not make the opposite mistake of dismissing them as "nothing but" poetry.
Metaphor tells us truth more fully and more adequately than does plain prose. The truth is
Heaven and Earth may indeed pass away, but not before the Final Resolution in which good
triumphs over evil and life over death. We don't know when or how that will happen. Those
issues really don't matter. What does matter is that Jesus and his true followers will
finally win. |
read the padre |
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Story: Once upon a time years ago a
teacher had a very difficult time controlling her class. The students were bight, and for
the most part, not trouble makers. They had behaved well for their previous teacher and
were prepared to do the same for this one. This
teacher was Ill equipped to deal with the challenge they presented and spent most of her
time yelling at them for every little infraction and periodically telling them they had to
write the entire Constitution as punishment for their behavior. She also assured them they
would never amount to anything in their adult life. Eventually, the students ignored her
rantings, did their work, graduated with honors and went on to the best high schools and
colleges. Though her predictions did not come true, perhaps she did move the students to
prove how well they could do. * by Dr. Mary Durkin
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