The Son of Man Will Come with
Great Power and Glory
Introduction:
May the Lord Jesus continue to strengthen you as you
await His final coming at the end of time.
With all
the natural and human-caused disasters of late (hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis,
flooding, the pandemic, war, shootings, etc), the bellicose action of some people
and nations, and the supposed prophecies of the end of the world over the last few
decades, some people are worried that the world is coming to an end. Well, the truth
is that it will come to an end. But, as we will hear in today’s Gospel, no one knows
when. The key point for us, as followers of the Lord Jesus, is to live lives that
show we are prepared for His return whenever that may be, whether today, tomorrow,
at the end of long lives, or millennia from now. We must demonstrate that our orientation
is towards GOD (ad Deum). We should desire to follow, and be working at following,
the Lord Jesus as He modeled what it means to be people of the Reign of GOD. If
we are striving to do that, even if we encounter rough times, then we should not
worry, but we should joyfully anticipate His return and the coming at the end of
time.
As we approach
the end of another Church Year, our focus is on eschatology. Eschatology
literally means “the study of the end.” Our readings deal with eschatology by
using a particular style of writing known as “apocalyptic.” In Greek,
apocalypsis means “revelation.” We are being given a “revelation” about the end
times – the end of our world as we know it. The First Reading describes the end
of time when the archangel Michael will come in preparation for the final
judgment. The Responsorial is a hymn of hope in the GOD Who shows the path to
life. The reading from the Letter to the Hebrews describes the universal and
unique sacrifice for sin offered by Jesus Who now is waiting until the
fulfillment of His victory at the end of time. In the Gospel, Jesus announces
the coming of the “Son of Man” from the clouds when the “elect” will be
gathered into the Reign of GOD.
First Reading Daniel 12:1-3:
Some will wake to everlasting life, some to shame and disgrace
Commentary: This passage looks towards the end of
all things. It is a crucial passage, for here, for the first time in the Bible,
the resurrection of the dead is proclaimed. The Book of Daniel was written
during a great persecution of the Jews a couple of centuries before Christ. It
was then that finally the resurrection of those who remain true to the Lord was
revealed. The earlier Israelites pictured the afterlife as a sort of powerless,
shadowy half-existence in Sheol, where the dead could not even praise God. Yet
there had been many hints of conviction that God would never desert those who
love him: ‘I know that my Redeemer lives and that from my flesh I will look on
God,’ said Job. Only now, under the stress of the death of martyrs in the
persecution, is the full truth revealed: at the end of time God will intervene
to draw his own to himself in the fullness of life. In this reading ‘many
will awaken’ does not mean that some will not awaken; it merely indicates a
vast number, the almost limitless multitude of the dead.
Responsorial Psalm 16:5,8-11:
Preserve me, God, I take refuge in you.
The psalmist
today declares hope in the GOD Who leads the faithful along paths to life. The
psalm has been interpreted by Christians as a reminder of the hope in the
eternal life that was made possible through the salvific (saving) actions of
Jesus.
Second Reading Hebrews
10:11-14,18 ·When all sins have been forgiven, there can be no more
sin-offerings
Commentary: Christ is pictured in the terms of the
coronation song, Psalm 110, as the Son of God, sharing God’s throne. His
sacrifice on the Cross was not an act of vengeance by God, inflicting on Jesus
the pains that we deserve, after which God suddenly changed his mind and
rehabilitated Jesus. It was the consummate act of loving obedience, by which
Jesus, on behalf of all humanity, reversed the disobedience of Adam and united
us all to God. The resurrection, by which Christ was raised to glory, the Son
of God in power, was the recognition of this renewal of life. The sacrifices of
the Old Law were partial, temporary, and needed to be repeated. Christ’s
offering in obedience was complete, and could never be repeated. When he writes
to the Corinthians Paul uses the same psalm to show that Christ is waiting to
put the last great enemy, Death, under his feet, and so present the Kingdom to
his Father.
Gospel Mark 13:24-32: The stars
will fall from heaven and the powers in the heavens will be shaken
Commentary: Jesus
saw his mission to be the establishment of the sovereignty of God, the kingship
and rule of God over the world, even in rebellious human hearts. Using the
language and imagery of his time, he described this ‘earth-shaking’ event in
terms of cosmic disturbances. The coming of God, the Day of the Lord, would
constitute the end of the world as we know it. As Christians we must
acknowledge that the death and resurrection of Christ utterly changed the world
forever; it was the Day of the Lord. And yet the world continues, and we have
still to prepare for the Day of the Lord when we will come into that awesome
presence. That meeting can be pictured only in terms of collapse and upheaval,
our world turned upside-down. At death, all our familiar realities cease, even
the ticking of the clock. At death, time ceases to have meaning. We do not know
and have no need to know, when or how this will occur. For all it will come,
for each it will be an individual meeting, but will it be all together or each
individually? The Son of Man will gather his own, in great
power and glory.
Reflection: Do you
recognize the signs of God's kingdom - signs that point to his power and action
in our lives and the world around us? The Lord Jesus came to bring us the
kingdom of God and to set us free from bondage to sin, death, and destruction
and from the powers of the evil one who tempts us through lies and deception.
The Lord is preparing us for his return: Jesus
told his first disciples that it was for their benefit that he return to his
Father in heaven in order for the Holy Spirit to come (John 16:7) and fill the
earth with the fire of God's love, truth, and glory. The Lord Jesus in every
age fills his people with the power of the Holy Spirit so that each one of us
can hear his voice, understand his truth, and sow the seeds of his word - the
good news of the Gospel - wherever he sends us. The Lord Jesus is preparing his
people for his return - for the day of "tribulation" and
"shaking" when he will appear "coming in clouds with great power
and glory" (Mark 13:25-26).
What did Jesus
mean when he spoke about a time of tribulation, shaking, and the "Son of
man coming with great power and glory"? The title Jesus most frequently
used to describe his mission was the "Son of Man" (Mark 13:26). This
title is a direct reference to the prophetic vision in the Book of Daniel,
chapter 7:
13 I saw in the
night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son
of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14 And
to him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and
languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which
shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
The image of a
"Son of man coming with the clouds of heaven" is taken from the
vision of the prophet Daniel (Daniel 7:13-14). Daniel's vision is a royal
investiture of a human king before God's throne. This king, whose authority
comes from God, is given power to rule over "all peoples, nations, and
languages" (Daniel 7:14). The kingdom which he comes to establish cannot
be broken or destroyed because it is built on the foundation of God's justice,
truth, and holiness.
The day of the
Lord's return will be unlike any other moment in time, history, and destiny for
the human race and our place in God's creation. Then the "stars of heaven
will fall and all will be shaken" before the presence of the Lord when he
comes. Then the peoples of the earth and their rulers will know who is the true
King and Ruler over all.
Jesus' first
coming was a rescue mission - to free the human race from slavery to sin and
Satan - the father of lies. His second coming will be the final completion of
his mission when he will "make all things new" - a new heavens and a
new earth - after he has put down the last enemy which is death and restores
our lowly bodies to immortality when death will be no more (Daniel 12:2-3).
The sign of the budding fig tree: What lesson does
the Lord Jesus want us to learn from the parable of the budding fig tree? The
fig tree was a common and important source of food for the Jews. It bore fruit
twice a year, in the autumn and in the early spring. The prophet Joel mentions
its fruit-bearing as a sign of favor from the Lord (Joel 2:22). The Talmud (a
Jewish commentary and instruction on the Torah or Five Books of Moses) said
that the first fruit came the day after Passover. The Jews believed that when
the Messiah came he would usher in the kingdom of God at Passover time.
This parable
foretells the joy of God's kingdom - the joy of new life and the promise of a
new age of peace and blessing. The signs of spring are evident for all who can
see. Just so are the signs of God's kingdom. The "budding" of God's
kingdom begins first in the hearts of those who are receptive to God's word.
Those who trust in God's word will bear the fruits of his kingdom. And what are
the fruits of that kingdom? "The kingdom of God … is righteousness and
peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17).
The first-fruits of the kingdom in our present lives: The
first coming of the Lord Jesus is inseparably linked with his second coming at
the end of this present age. We do not know the day or hour when the Lord will
return again in glory. But now in this present age, we can experience the first
fruits of the kingdom of God - the abundant new life in the Holy Spirit who
dwells within us, and the fruits of the Spirit - love, peace, joy, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23)
and so many other qualities which the Spirit works within us - thus enabling us
to love and serve others with tender-hearted mercy, patience, and goodness. Do
you know and experience in your life the first fruits of the kingdom of God?
Lord Jesus,
fill me with your Holy Spirit that I may radiate the joy of your kingdom and
the fire of your love to all I meet and serve. Direct my life to the glory of
your name and to the coming of your kingdom.
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: My words shall not pass away, by Gregory the Great
(540-604 AD)
"Nothing
of this world is more durable than the heavens and the earth, and nothing in
the order of nature passes away more quickly than speech. Words, as long as
they are incomplete, are not yet words. Once completed they cease utterly to
be. They cannot be perfected except by their own passing away. Therefore, he
says: 'Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass.' As if he
were openly to say: all that seems to you enduring and unchangeable is not
enduring and without change in eternity. And everything of mine that seems to
pass away is enduring and without change. My speech, which seems to pass away,
utters thoughts (sententiae manentes) which endure forever." (excerpt from
HOMILIES 1)
“He is near” (Mk 13:29)
“Then men will
see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. He will
dispatch His angels and assemble His chosen.” —Mark 13:26-27
In these last
two weeks of the Church year, the Church pays special attention to the Second
Coming of Christ. Focusing on Jesus’ return in power is critical for our life
in Christ and our spiritual well-being.
Some readers of
One Bread, One Body live in foreign countries and are actively persecuted for
their faith in Jesus. Some of our foreign printers and distributors risk their
lives regularly to spread God’s Word. If you “face death every day” (1 Cor
15:31) for your life of courageous faith, be encouraged. The Lord Jesus will
always have the final word. Your Redeemer lives, and your eyes will see Him (Jb
19:25, 27). “He is near, even at the door” (Mk 13:29; Rv 3:20), and you will
see Him coming with great power and glory to vindicate you (Mk 13:26-27).
“Stand erect and hold your heads high, for your deliverance is near at hand”
(Lk 21:28).
For those who
don’t live for the Lord, Jesus’ Second Coming will not be as humble and
meek as His first coming. There will be no gentle Infant lying in an obscure
manger. His Second Coming will shake the cosmos in “great power and glory” (Mk
13:26; cf 2 Pt 3:10). Few noticed Him in Bethlehem; this time “every eye shall
see Him, even of those who” reject Him (Rv 1:7). He will come as Judge (Jas
5:9). Therefore, repent now before it’s too late! Reconcile with Jesus now, for
you know not the day nor the hour of His return (Mk 13:32).
Prayer: Lord Jesus,
may I know You as Savior as well as Judge. “You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in Your presence, the delights at Your right hand forever.”
—Ps 16:11. Praise the risen Jesus, Who will come again in glory!
The personal action for today: What goes through my mind as I contemplate my own
“end times” and the “end times” of the world? Do I sense the ultimate victory
that Jesus has won, even though I am still fighting the good fight? How can I
bring a sense of hope to others who are in the throes of their own battle
against evil?
Saint Elizabeth of Hungary: In her short life, Elizabeth manifested such great love for the
poor and suffering that she became the patroness of Catholic charities and of
the Secular Franciscan Order. The daughter of the King of Hungary, Elizabeth
chose a life of penance and asceticism when a life of leisure and luxury could
easily have been hers. This choice endeared her in the hearts of the common
people throughout Europe.
At the age of
14, Elizabeth was married to Louis of Thuringia, whom she deeply loved. She
bore three children. Under the spiritual direction of a Franciscan friar, she
led a life of prayer, sacrifice, and service to the poor and sick. Seeking to
become one with the poor, she wore simple clothing. Daily she would take bread
to hundreds of the poorest in the land who came to her gate.
After six years
of marriage, her husband died in the Crusades, and Elizabeth was grief-stricken.
Her husband’s family looked upon her as squandering the royal purse, and
mistreated her, finally throwing her out of the palace. The return of her
husband’s allies from the Crusades resulted in her being reinstated since her
son was legal heir to the throne.
In 1228,
Elizabeth joined the Secular Franciscan Order, spending the remaining few years
of her life caring for the poor in a hospital that she founded in honor of
Saint Francis of Assisi. Elizabeth’s health declined, and she died before her
24th birthday in 1231. Her great popularity resulted in her canonization four
years later.
Elizabeth
understood well the lesson Jesus taught when he washed his disciples’ feet at
the Last Supper: The Christian must be one who serves the humblest needs of
others, even if one serves from an exalted position. Of royal blood, Elizabeth
could have lorded it over her subjects. Yet she served them with such a loving
heart that her brief life won for her a special place in the hearts of many.
Elizabeth is also an example to us in her following the guidance of a spiritual
director. Growth in the spiritual life is a difficult process. We can play
games very easily if we don’t have someone to challenge us.
