A reading from the gospel according to Mark 13:24-32
Jesus said to his disciples:
24 “In those days after that tribulation the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light,
25 and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
26 “And then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in the clouds’ with great power and glory,
27 and then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky.
28 “Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near.
29 In the same way, when you see these things happening, know that he is near, at the gates.
30 Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place.
31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
32 “But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
Reflection: The words of Jesus will stay forever.
No one knows when Jesus will come again in full glory. Let us not believe false prophets who claim they have received exclusive knowledge of God’s plan. Great disasters have come and gone and, God forbids, many more might come. What we are sure of is that He will come soon.
What we need to do is to be ready at all times. Day and night, we need to pray, to purify ourselves, to forgive others and ourselves, to be in service to others so that when Jesus comes, we are ready.
Sure, God sends us sign and we must be alert for anything that God might be revealing to us. May the power of the Holy Spirit grant us the gift of wisdom and discernment so that we will be able to understand His will for us and for the world. In the meantime, we hang on to His promises as the reading tells us that His words will never pass away.
Jesus is asking us to have a sense of urgency in the light of His second coming. The impending judgment of the world should move us to act now or be caught unprepared. Let us make the decision to repent and be renewed now. Yet, we should be joyful rather than fearful for we know that we are loved and that we have been redeemed by His death on the cross.
