The Final Days
Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
Read this Gospel passage aloud to the family
Mark 13: 24-32 – Jesus said to his disciples: "In those days after that tribulation the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
"And then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in the clouds' with great power and glory, 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.
"Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things happening, know that he is near, at the gates. Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
"But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."
(Parent) Reread this part a few times aloud
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”
(Parent) Read this meditation aloud to the family
In the Gospel from today, Jesus is talking about “the Son of Man coming.” Often when we think of Jesus’ Second Coming, we think about what will happen at the end of time. And while this is correct, it is perhaps too limited. According to Scripture and our faith, we live in the final days now. This doesn’t necessarily mean the world will end soon. What it does mean is that we live in the time after God’s plan for our salvation has been accomplished. Jesus has come and accomplished our salvation already.
Jesus tells His disciples, “learn a lesson from the fig tree.” He says that, just as they tell the seasons by looking at trees, so too they should understand the times they are living in by the things happening around them. In a somewhat similar way, if we really want to understand world events or our own personal events, we can’t just listen to the TV, news, or our friends thoughtlessly. We must look at the world’s happenings and our own happenings in light of the real times (the final times).
How differently would we view news stories if we understood that all these tragedies were really the result of sin and evil… but that sin and evil have really been overcome by Christ? How differently would we view our life events if we considered that the popular opinions of everyone around us really will pass away and mean nothing, but Christ’s words really “will not pass away”?
We must take time to stop and raise our heads above the confusion, noise, and fog of so many wrong opinions about the world. We must let the words of Christ remind us each day what is really going on in the real world.
Together as a family pray a portion of the Rosary (i.e. – very short if children are young) reflecting on the Scripture above. (Optional – allow a brief time for discussion or questions from children concerning their thoughts and prayer)
