THIRTY THIRD SUNDAY

 1.       The Gospel today tries to bring out the Urgency of the message of Jesus. Now on Friday,  the day before I came here, there was a sense of Urgency. I had aprayer service at 4:15 which was in downtown Toronto. I then had to rush up the Highway to a Church which normally would take me fifteen minutes outside rush hour.  Wtih the bumper to bumper traffic it took me all of 55 minutes getting there just 5 minutes before the Mass was to start. When the Mass was celebrated, I just to jump back into the car and rush back tothe Parish for the first Friday Mass at 7:30 You do get a sense of Urgeny when you have to meet deadlines in a big city. But here on vacation, sitting before sun rising in all its glory, afishing boat gently going out for a day’s work, a couple of tourists lying on the beach. One had a sense not of Urgency, but God is in heaven and all’s well with the world.

2.       It is difficult to picture all the things that are listed in Gospel as Jesus warns us of the coming day of reckoning. There will be

nation against nation, great earthquakes

famines and plagues, and great signs from Heaven

arrests and pesecutions, betrayals even by parents and siblings

you will be hated by all.

The sense of urgency that Jesus speaks off today, can probably be seen in a parable. There was a small village of about 35 people. It was not like Peyton Place with its intrigues. Everyone got on well with each other. There was a recluse in the village called henry who lived on the edge of the village. He was not unfriendly, but just kept to himself. One of the villagers threw a birthday part. There were no special invitation sent out. Everyone was invited. The word was spread by word of mouth. The party was wonderful. But Henry was missiing. No one had taken the trouble to tell him.

          This is the Urgency of the Gospel. The good news has been with us for 2000 years, but there are still so many people that have never heard the Gospel. Like Henry there are so many who have never been told.

3.       Perhaps the reason is because our idea of Christianity is out of focus, out of sync. For many of us Christianity is a set of beliefs, our Church is a beautiful building with stained glass windows and a set of Institutions. As a result this Christianity can be compartmentalised, practiced for one hour on a Sunday and kept distinct from the hustle and bustle of our everyday life. It is this type of Christianity that must be separate from the State.

Perhaps we could take an idea from Jusdaism. The jews do not consider themselves as a member of a religion. There are even Jews who consider themselves atheists. They are not a member of a race: white or black, brown or yellow, because you can join the Judaic faith. They consider themselves a people with a history, with tradtional practices, and the fact they are a chosen people. They may wear external signs, like the yamulka, but being a Jew does not depend on that.

          If Christianity is simply restricted to a set of beliefs, to an institution and to a building where we meet on Sunday, the Mass would be vey boring. But if I consider myself as belonging to a people with an exciting history and tradition, if I consider that because of this they do put their beleif into a set of codes and doctrines, but they are not limited to that, then there is a sense of Urgency to make it known to those who have never heard the Good News. It does put a lie to the prhase keep Chruch and State separate.

          The church is a vibrant communtiy with a history and tradition that I take with me to bed when I sleep, to the beach when I swim in the sea, to the pub when I drink beer, to the arts and cultural centre. There is no line of demarcation when I stop being a Christian and start being a Bajan, a Canadian, an American or Britisher.

The Urgency has a sense of excitement not of fear, for the day that is to come. It take it in my stride: nations can rise against nations, there will be earthquakes and floods, and famines and plagues - but like Job, I will say I know that my redeemer lives and on the last day I will look on God my Saviour.

In our first reading, Malachi too speaks about the Day that is to come.  The book of Malachi the last of the 12 minor prophets is written in an FAQ (frequently asked questions) form.