Tuesday – Thirty-fourth Week – OT2

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Tuesday – Thirty-fourth Week – OT2

Readings: Rev 14:14-19; Lk 21:5-11.  

 

Reading 1: (Rev 14:14-19): 

I, John, looked and there was a white cloud,
and sitting on the cloud one who looked like a son of man,
with a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.
Another angel came out of the temple,
crying out in a loud voice to the one sitting on the cloud,
“Use your sickle and reap the harvest,
for the time to reap has come,
because the earth’s harvest is fully ripe.”
So the one who was sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth,
and the earth was harvested.

Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven
who also had a sharp sickle.
Then another angel came from the altar, who was in charge of the fire,
and cried out in a loud voice
to the one who had the sharp sickle,
“Use your sharp sickle and cut the clusters from the earth’s vines,
for its grapes are ripe.”
So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and cut the earth’s vintage.
He threw it into the great wine press of God’s fury.

Gospel (Lk 21:5-11): 

While some people were speaking about
how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings,
Jesus said, “All that you see here?
the days will come when there will not be left
a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.”

Then they asked him,
“Teacher, when will this happen?
And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?”
He answered,
“See that you not be deceived,
for many will come in my name, saying,
‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’
Do not follow them!
When you hear of wars and insurrections,
do not be terrified; for such things must happen first,
but it will not immediately be the end.”
Then he said to them,
“Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues
from place to place;
and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.” 


Written by: Fr. Anthony Dinh M. Tien, O.P.

 

I. THEME: The Last Judgment           

            One of the topics which always excites people is to predict when the Last Day shall happen and the signs which shall happen before this day. The main reason for this is because people want to be prepared at the last minutes, not the whole of their life as Jesus demands. From the time of Jesus’ disciples until today, many predicted this day and were wrong. We still remembered the year of 2000, many people said that the first day of 2000 shall be the last. They withdrew money from their banks because they were afraid it shall be a waste after that day; they stopped to go to works so that they could enjoy life and then wait for that day to happen. Twelve years had passed and the Last Day doesn’t happen, they must go to work and start to save again; some predicted that it shall be on December 21, 2012.

            Today readings inform us about the Last Day and what shall happen before that day. In the first reading, the author of Revelation gave us some order of what shall happen before the Last Day. Firstly, the son of man shall shall give a signal for his angels to gather the harvest which is the righteous into heaven. Secondly, he shall give a signal for them to gather the sinners and to punish them as their sins are deserved. In the Gospel, when was asked about the Last Day and the signs which happen before that day, Jesus didn’t give the date or the time; but he warned people that there shall be false prophets and predictions. He also gave the signs which shall happen in heaven and on earth before this day.

II. ANALYSIS:

1/ Reading I: “Use your sickle and reap the harvest, for the time to reap has come, because the earth’s harvest is fully ripe.”

           

1.1/ Gathering the harvest: As with human business, they gather their harvest before clear out all trashes; God also gathers His harvest which is the righteous before He punishes the wicked. The image of gathering the harvest was used by the author of Revelation and many evangelists (Cf Mk 4:29, Mt 25:31) to describe what shall happen in the Last Day. In agricuture, the harvest shall be gathered and put in the barns before the weeds are collected and burned out. Similarly, the good shall be gathered into heaven before the wicked are destroyed forever. The one who sits on the cloud is Christ who actively controls the harvest gathering. The sharp sickles are the instruments for harvesting. Throwing the sickle on earth is the symbol of the beginning of harvesting. Today report doesn’t specify who are the workers who gather the harvest. At other place, the angels are the workers. The ripe harvest is liken to the Last Day has come.

           

1.2/ God’s punishment after the harvest: The author used the image of gathering ripe grapes and throwing into the great wine press to describe God’s punishment for the wicked. One angel who is in charge for punishing human beings, not Christ himself. The sharp sickles were also used to collect weeds or to harvest grapes. The season for ripe grape is the sign for the day of the wicked has come. Throwing ripe grape into the great wine press is the symbol for punishment: As ripe grape are ground in the wine press, the wicked shall have the similar fate. Their poured out blood is compared with the blood of grapes (Gen 49:11). The author called this punishment is the way to satisfy God’s wrath.

2/ Gospel: The day of Messiah

            The Jews think they are living between of the two ages: the present age which is very bad, incurable, and deserved to be destroyed; and the glorious future of God which they will dominate the world. Between these two ages will be the Messiah’s day, the day in which all nightmare events will happen in the world. In this day, the earth and all sinners will be destroyed (Isa 13:9, Joel 2:1-2, Amo 5:18-20, Zep 1:14-18). This day will suddenly happen as a theft entered in a house at night (I Thes 5:2, II Pet 3:10). The stars, the sun and the moon will no longer give light, the earth will rumble, and God’s anger will rain down on human beings (Isa 13:10-13, Joel 2:30-31).

2.1/ All glory of the world is temporal, even the glory of the Jerusalem Temple. If one stands in the Olive Mt. and looks down Jerusalem city, the Temple and its glory can’t be missed. Today, even the Temple is no longer existed, but its glory can still be seen by giant rocks and the Weeping Wall. At Jesus’ time, the Temple was the Jewish pride. It is no surprise when some spoke of the Temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings. But Jesus warned them, “As for these things which you see, the days will come when there shall not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

            The Temple was completely destroyed by the Roman force on 70 AD, about 30 years after Jesus’ prophesy. The Romans encircled the Jerusalem city; people ran out of food so they must feed on other’s flesh to live; many even chewed shoes to lessen their hungry. The Romans completely destroyed Jerusalem city, as Jesus’ warning: “there shall not be left here one stone upon another.” The historian Josephus estimated about 1.1 millions people died, and 97,000 others were on exile. The Jewish state was completely erased on the map until the present age.

2.2/ Jesus’ prediction about the Last Day: They asked him, “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign when this is about to take place?” Jesus didn’t tell them the time but he gave two warning signs.

            (1) There will be false prophets and wrong guessing people: From Jesus’ time until now, there existed many people who falsely claimed as the prophets sent from heaven, such as: Mohamed, Smith of Mormon. There also existed the wrong guessing people about the Last Day, notably Nostradamus. Many thought the beginning of the year of 2,000 will be it, and they prepared for this day; we almost come to the New Year of 2012, and that Day is still not happened yet. Jesus issued a warning: “Take heed that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name, saying, `I am he!’ and, `The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them.”

            (2) The signs of the cosmos: Jesus gave us some hints.

            – There will be war and unrest: Wars happened in all places and ages, even in our age. This is only showed that we are in between the two ages as the Jews believe. We can’t depend on wars to predict the Last Day is coming.

            – There will be great earthquakes, famines, and plagues: The great earthquakes happened in all places and ages. The one who closed to our age is the Sichuan earthquake, China, happened in 2008; there are about 70,000 deaths resulted of this earthquake. Other plagues, such as: tsunamis, flood, hurricanes, epidemics, famines often happened.

            – There will be nightmare events and great signs to appear in heaven: These are probably the more exact signs because from Jesus’ time till now, people never witness great signs from heaven as the prophets announced such as: the sun, the moon and the stars will no longer shine.

III. APPLICATION IN LIFE:                     

            – The Last Day shall certainly happen. There shall be forewarning signs in heaven and on earth; but the exact day and time, no one shall know.

            – We must prepare ourselves when we still have time to do it so that when the Day happens, we shall not be regretted.

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