Glory to the King...

33rd Week in OT

(Mk 13.24-32)

1. GLORY

* sun

* moon

* stars

These are heavenly bodies which carry in themselves the glory of being up there as the source of light, heat and power. We marvel at their greatness, behold their beauty and wonders to the point that we claim them to be gods - the ruler and principle of life. We know the stories of antiquity where the Egyptians worship the Sun, the Babylonians exalt their moon goddesses and the Persians depend their fate according to the sign and the arrangement of the stars.

In the Gospel, Mark speaks of these heavenly bodies not in the light of their greatness but in the light of the COMING of the Son of Man; their glory is nothing in comparison with the Glory of Jesus.

photo by Gerard Zabala, OP

"But 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..."

Some people find these events as very frightening; some people think it is absurd; still some people don't care because they don't believe in anything. But the Scriptures can't be wrong because these are the Words of God. We do not know how it will happen exactly or in what fashion, whether literally or figuratively, but what one thing is certain, IT IS going to HAPPEN. And in fact it is happening now in our midst.

Look around us, how many of us consider ourselves as the Sun god - "I am the best and that everything I do is superb, therefore I RULE, I am God?"

How many of us think that we are Moon goddesses - "that we always think the basis of the personhood of human being is having a high position, great control and power and being famous, therefore I RULE, I am God?"

How many of us depend our fortune, our fate, and our lives on zodiac signs - "that we compromise our ability to live, to forgive and to love, to do what is right and good and to believe in truth?"

In the coming of Jesus, all these glory, power and rulers will not matter any longer because HIS GLORY will be revealed to us, will overcome our own glory, will shine and lighten our darkened world.

2. HOPE

photo by John Gervacio

So instead of focusing on fear and trembling on the second coming of Jesus, let us instead focus on the HOPE it will bring us. We live each day with the hope of a better future, for ourselves and our loved ones, we only wish for what is best. But our good intention is not enough. We have to believe and do what is God's and not what is ours. Why is this necessary? Because if we look at our modern society we will find out that it focuses on itself and cunningly trying to erase God in the picture, trying to persuade everyone that there is no God or that even there is a God, He does not matter. What counts is man, his power, his glory, his ability. But these are false pretenses; this very attitude of our society towards man gives false Hope - that apart from God we can manage and that we can live a good life.

The Second Coming of Jesus speaks of JOY because once again we will see hope, the hope that His light brings in our lives. The Hope that those who mourn today will laugh, those who are poor will be rich, those who hunger and thirst will be fed, those who are weak will be strong, those who are sick will be healed, those who live in darkness will see light, those who are proud will be humbled, those who are last will be first.

3. HUMILITY

from a Calendar 2011

"Before the Lord Jesus' coming people drew all their glory from themselves. But he came as man that the glory of man might grow less and the glory of God grow greater. For he came without sin and found us all to be sinners. If he came to loose our sins it is because God is merciful: so let man take note of it. For man's humbleness is his gratitude and God's greatness is his mercy. If he came to forgive us our sins then let man take thought of his lowliness and God exercise his mercy. “He must grow greater and I must grow less” (Jn 3,30). That is to say, he it is who must give and it is for me to receive. He must have the glory and I must acknowledge it. Man should understand his place: let him acknowledge God and hear what the apostle Paul says to the high-minded and proud man who claims to be exalted: “What do you possess that you have not received? But if you have received it, why are you boasting as though you have not received it?” (1Cor 4,7). So let the man who would call his own what is not his own understand that he has received it and make himself small, for it is good for him that God should be glorified in him. Therefore, let him grow less in himself that in him God may grow greater." (St Augustine's homily)

Amen.