Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
It is easy to go through life non-reflectively, living the routines of our days and weeks without giving much thought to the larger questions of meaning, purpose, and calling. We may know we need to change but put it off, thinking we’ll love, serve, and care more in the future. We may face trial personally and be weary of trying to live as we know we should. We witness discord, violence, and division and it may feel that it is the end of the world. Today’s readings urge us to put laziness, fear, or distraction aside and get about the work of discipleship with the assurance that the Lord will provide what we need as we do so.
THE SUN OF JUSTICE WILL ARISE
It may seem as though Jesus is talking directly to us in today’s Gospel. While it is always true that the Gospel speaks across time and space, today’s message feels particularly appropriate as we near the end of another year that has been filled with pandemic, political division, international tension, and economic concerns. Christ reigns over all these things, and as Christians, we hold firm in the belief that we will as well. We must take the long view—the truly long view of eternity—as we meet the challenges of our time. The sun of justice will arise. All will be well.
The message of the Gospel is not abstract, nor are we distant hearers of its message. We face choices every day about how we will live, what we will or won’t do, how seriously we will take Christ’s call to live the truth of the gospel. At times, the choices we face seem inconsequential: will we sit on the sofa night after night, or choose to spend time with family or serve in our parish? Will we get up for Mass on Sunday morning ready to praise God and be part of our faith community, or drag ourselves there, grumbling every step of the way (or not go at all)? Choices such as these are of consequence of course, not only because each decision matters, but the patterns we establish in our lives are rooted in the cumulative weight of the choices we make. We may be called upon to make harder choices and must be prepared to do so. Jesus tells us to persevere. By doing so, we will secure our lives.
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