Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time - C November 18, 2007

Malachi 3:19-20 2 Thessalonians 3: 7-12 Luke 21: 5-19

Most anyone who is acquainted with a young person going to college at the present time is aware of a wonderful opportunity that so many have now. Many are able to study overseas for a semester or a year in a foreign country. Because of the influence of the British Empire and American business, students can encounter English being spoken in so many places in the world. English is even preferred by those in the foreign country who attempting to learn English themselves as a means of expanding their own opportunities.

If a person, however, is going to a place where English is not the primary language, learning and using the native language of the place is an important effort. No only is one able to get by more readily, but there is so much to gain from the possibilities which are opened up by knowing the language of the place. Being able to go out into the street, to a shop, to a restaurant, to do ordinary, everyday business while speaking and understanding a foreign language is an important way of unlocking the full experience of what is being offered.

Today, as happens each year as we come near the close of the Church’s year, we are confronted with what we might call a foreign language. We heard words from the prophet Malachi, in English, like “blazing day,” “evildoers will be stubble,” “everything is set on fire, down to the root and branch,” and from Jesus about the Temple building being destroyed down to the last stone, earthquakes, famines, plagues, awesome sights and signs in the sky. Although these are English words and we understand the words, they speak in a type of language which we might consider foreign.

If, as I have suggested over the last few weeks, we understand that the first part of the Mass is God’s effort to speak to us, to communicate to us in this relationship with God, we need to pierce through the literal meaning of these words in order to come to a real appreciation of what is being said to us. Or else we will be like a student in a foreign country, standing in the street scratching his or her head trying to understand what is being said and, especially, trying not to misunderstand or to be misunderstood.

The foreign language which we have heard, a language of power and force, destruction and mystery is misunderstood if it is taken literally and, especially, if the attempt is made to match these words with particular events whether in past history or in current times. The language which is being used, especially for a believer, is a language of hope, not fear. It is a reminder from the prophet and from the writers of the New Testament who recalled the sayings of Jesus that no matter what might be experienced, no matter how often it seems that evil succeed, no matter that adversity seems to have the upper hand, it is faith in God, belief in God, and a life that is lived in terms of this faith and trust which will ultimately triumph, ultimately win.

Perhaps we might think that this is not the way the world and the society we live in measures victory - especially when we think of those who gave their lives for their faith. But in ways that Jesus tries, again and again, to remind us, the key to success in life is found in being that person that we are created to be. The key to genuine happiness in life comes from faith and trust in his words, his teachings. Life lived in this manner is not always easy, nor is it free from stress or anxiety, nor is it free of misunderstanding and rejection by others. But if we remain true to his words and his teachings, the ultimate experience we will have will be that of victory, triumph, success. We will come to a true realization of what is valuable, what has worth in life.

Thus, as St. Paul suggests in his writing to the Thessalonians which we heard today, our approach to daily living ought to be to care for ourselves and to care for others. This may seem rather simple and routine, but this is what is need. To be a good person, to be a reflection of God, to show godliness in our living, despite ridicule at times, despite rejection that this is foolish, will ultimately bring true peace of mind and spirit.

In living in a foreign country, in hearing a foreign language, we can hear words which might cause us fear that something important is being misunderstood. We learn the language as a means of overcoming that fear, that anxiety. As we hear the “foreign” language of Malachi and Jesus, we must realize that these are words of assurance to believers that are being spoken. We need to have the confidence and trust that if we follow what is being said and taught, we are taking part in a true experience, a very beneficial experience that is found in a genuine relationship with a loving God.