The Last Days of Hope
33rdSunday – Year B (Mk 13:24-32)
Everything comes to an end
We are moving towards the end of the liturgical year. Next Sunday will be the feast of Christ the King. And the following Sunday will be the first Sunday in Advent – the new year in the liturgical calendar. The Liturgy of the Word today takes advantage of this time of the year to remind us of a difficult theme, namely, the end of times!
The theme of ‘the end of times’ or ‘the end of the world’ is indeed a difficult one. So are the readings of today. Similar passages from the Gospels, together with the Book of Daniel and the Book of Revelations, are the most misinterpreted texts in the Bible. I personally found the preparation of this reflection quite difficult. For sure, these texts cannot be read as we would the novels of Agatha Christie or the news stories in the local daily. In fact, as we know, the Bible is not a single book but a library of books. Again, within the same book in the Bible often we could have different literary genres (styles), sometimes coming from different traditions and sources. Therefore, it is important to read the Bible with due regard for their styles and background.
Hope versus despair
The passages that we heard read in today’s first reading and the gospel are known as ‘apocalyptic literature’ – quite a mouthful, isn’t it? These texts are very different from the narrative (stories about Jesus) and didactic (teachings of Jesus) material that form the rest of the gospel texts. Apocalyptic literature is seen to flourish in the Scriptures during times of national disaster or impending calamity. Our first reading today comes from the Book of Daniel. This book was composed in the 2ndCentury BCE, when the Jews were persecuted by the Greek ruler Antiochus Epiphanes. And the gospel text of today, from Mark, is part of the answer that Jesus gives to the question of some of the Apostles concerning the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem and the end of times (Mk 13:3-4). It is also important to understand that by the time the Gospel of Mark was being written, the Jews were suffering fresh persecutions in the hands of the Romans, and the temple of Jerusalem was on the verge of destruction.
As we can see, then, the context where these texts (of the Apocalyptic literature) get written is very difficult and negative from the point of view of human experience. But the purpose of these passages is not to threaten the people more, but to offer hope drawing their attention to the action of God even beyond the present history. Apocalyptic literature would always talk about ‘new heaven and new earth’ and the triumph of good over evil. It is so important not to lose sight of this point. And here is where we need to be wary of some of the modern preachers, who stand at our street corners and preach with pointing fingers about ‘the end of the world’.
Are things getting worse?
Many people – often the elderly but also those who are not so old – might believe that the world is becoming worse day by day. Some people think that humanity has lost its direction. And often this image is built by the media, because much of what we hear and see in newscasts is negative. This can contribute to some despair.
I have lived the past 29 years of my life outside my home country, India. When you live outside your own country you are curious to know what is going on in your country. But unfortunately often it is the negative event that gets reported. For instance, Indian Railways operates about 13,000 passenger trains that transport 23 million passengers on a given day, across the country. This will not be reported. But the train that got derailed, as a rare event, is the one that will get reported. Similarly, what we hear about Africa in the mainstream media is only bad news. It is not that Africa does not have problems – problems that are a product of its history. But Africa is full of happy people and beautiful places and possibilities. So, as I live abroad, I have come to a conclusion: no news at home is good news!
We should not be deceived by the impact of the modern media. We should not allow ourselves to despair. Christian faith is built on hope! Even during the past months of COVID-19, God is still in control of the world. God is still part of our history. And even amidst human frailty God still loves the world.
This sense of hope is seen in the last lines of today’s first reading: “And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever” (Dan 12:3). In the gospel passage it is the reference to the “Son of Man” that brings the sense of hope (Mk 13:26). Let us explore this a little further.
Son of man – solidarity with the suffering
“Son of man” is an expression used both in the Hebrew Scriptures and in the Gospels. There are about 270 verses that use this phrase. In the prophet Ezekiel, this expression simply refers to the prophet as the “son of Adam” – a frail human being. But this same expression in the mouth of Jesus, in the Gospels, gets a deeper meaning. When Jesus refers to himself as the “Son of man”, on the one hand he is avoiding the political meaning that was attached to the expression, “messiah”, and on the other hand, he is defining himself as the saviour, who, Daniel (7:13) saw in his visions, even as he lived through the days of persecution. Therefore, the Son of man is one who appears to save the suffering, the downtrodden, and the poor. In other words, even amidst the confusing details of human history, the Son of man reigns as the saviour. We hear in today’s gospel passage: “And then they will see the Son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory” (Mk 13:26). These would be the same words that Jesus would declare in front of the high priest during his own suffering and trial: “you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven” (Mk 14:62). These words were fulfilled for Jesus in his own resurrection – when God defended the just. And these words will be fulfilled for us at the end of times: as individuals and as creation! This is our Christian hope!
Therefore, we do not wait for the last days with fear and trembling, but we wait with eager longing. We wait with blessed hope (Titus 2:13).
