Our Lady - Star of the Sea

Homily for the 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time Year C: 2010

There is a priest who visited the twin tower in New York before the  
September 11th  2001. He was stopped by a security guard at the lobby  
and did not let him in. The priest then asked the guard: Do you think  
this tower will survive forever? I think the priest wanted to remind  
the guard that nothing will survive forever in this world. The world  
is always vulnerable to natural disasters, war, terrorism, etc…
As we move closer to the close of the liturgical year, the Church  
reminds us about the end time. In the gospel of Luke, Jesus predicted  
the total ruin of the temple Jerusalem which was the most sacred and  
untouchable to the Jews. They were terrified when they heard this  
apocalyptic. They thought the temple will only be collapsed at the end  
time. Jesus also went on with the progression of natural disasters and  
even crises in the personal trials. Jesus’ audience did not ask if  
such will happen, but they asked when it will come about and if they  
will have advance warning. Jesus never answered their question  
directly, instead he directs his listeners how to respond to these  
crises.

The end time will surely come. War, famine, recession, or persecution  
will surely happen. How can we respond to these crises? Or what can we  
do in the midst of our crises? According to the gospel today, Jesus  
commands us to turn to him more. He wants us to turn to the One who  
will not forget his promises to his people. What did he promise? He  
promised that the Holy Spirit will be among us to guide us through our  
personal trials. He will tell us what to say and what to do in our  
trials. Therefore, instead of scare and denying them, we have to go  
through them with our faith in the Lord.

Looking at the Church’s history, we can see that the Church of Jesus  
Christ still stands firm through all the trials and persecutions. A  
lot of Christians accepted to die for their faith because they trust  
in Jesus’ words. Moreover, when their focus was on him and not on  
their tribulations, they were able to stand fearless.
Remember, Jesus accepted his own tribulation on earth, and he rose  
above it. He expects us to do the same in order to share his glory in  
heaven. Nowadays, we may not need to shed our blood for our faith, but  
we still have challenges when we witness to our Christian faith before  
the secular society. We still have challenges when we stand for  
Christian morality and dignity. We still have challenges when we admit  
ourselves to his Church on earth.