The everlasting Word!

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

This Sunday is the second to last Sunday of the liturgical year, next Sunday is the feast of Christ the King and after that we start the season of Advent. The Gospel today invites us to consider Jesus’ predictions and teaching about the end of the world, and to turn our hearts and minds to the life to come. How will we know when the end is coming? We do not know the day or the hour. But we know that in God’s own time, when light shines and triumphs over darkness, and when justice and love rules over all, then time as we know it will no longer matter and God’s second coming will be upon us.

Jesus’ words and images draw upon Old Testament imagery, especially images found in the Book of Daniel which we read in today’s first reading, it is apocalyptic imagery and it proclaims that the worst of times will give birth to the best of times. Apocalypse simply means revelation or “uncovering.” Jesus and the disciples are at the Mount of Olives and Jesus relates his final message before his passion. He describes the signs to look for that will indicate that the coming of the Son of Man is near. His words are not spoken to frighten us but merely to prepare us for the changes we will experience during our lifetimes and at the end times.

The readings are in symbolic language that tells us the time of salvation is not known for certain, and it paints a picture of stressful times and disorder. We need to remember to not try to understand it in the literal sense, but focus on the message which Jesus conveyed. By using a fig tree as a sign of the coming of summer (when it starts to produce leaves), Jesus reminds us to observe the natural world around us and in this way, we will recognise the signs and see “the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.” Apocalyptic visions might scare us in some ways but Jesus’ final message is one of hope, he invites us to believe that God continues to be at work on behalf of all humanity even if we do not always perceive it. Jesus tells the disciples that when everything ceases to make sense, when wars and disasters make it seem as if evil and chaos have the final word, they will discover the Son of Man coming on the clouds. He is the long-awaited one, the liberator and saviour. Jesus’ teaching challenges us to trust God with the future. Belief in the Second Coming (Parousia) requires faith. When are you coming Lord? Might not be a question that we ask ourselves but we should consider our response as a Christian when considering the end of time. Jesus’ answer to us is the same one he gave his followers two thousand years ago. Look for signs of his coming in the chaos of life. Trust in his promise of deliverance. Rest assured, he will come at the right time! 

St. Augustine said, “time is a threefold present: the present as we experience it, the past as a present memory, and the future as an expectation.” In guarding and making good use of our time we learn to put our lives at God’s service, aiming to live in His presence with a growing awareness that the Lord will return and usher in the eternal kingdom of God.

A reading from the Gospel of Mark (Mk 13: 24-32)

 Jesus said to his disciples: “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, and then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky. “Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves,

you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things happening, know that he is near, at the gates. Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. “But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

The Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

  1. Read the Gospel story so that you are familiar with it.
  2. Reflect on what the Gospel story is saying to you. Which points would you highlight and why?
  3. Although many things in our lives are subject to change, sometimes beyond our control. Maybe through accident or ill health, we can find security in relationships and values which endure and do not change no matter what. We can confidently accept change if we know that we will continue to be loved by our family and by God.
  4. Spend time this week looking through family albums with your family, talk about how some things have changed but we know that our love for each other remains strong. The same is true with God and God’s love for us. By doing this you will be encouraging a sense of trust and confidence, assuring your children that nothing can change your love for them. “Do not walk through time without leaving worthy evidence of your passage”(Pope John XXIII)
  5. Together with your family find the right time to read this Gospel. The environment helps, so before you start, prepare;
    i. The Bible reading from St Mark (MK 12: 38-44)
    ii. A candl
    iii. Cover the table with a green clo
    iv. A computer/laptop with the reading and clips
  6. Go through the steps with your children (2 age groups are being suggested)
  7. Feel free to adapt to your situation
  8. Be creative 😊
  9. Go to the Prayer Corner section to continue praying as a family

Jesus promised that he would come again but he did not say when that would be. He just told us to be ready.

  • That Jesus is coming again and we should be ready
  • Paper plate/cotton wool balls
  • Pencil colours/ glue
  • Scissors/ribbon or string
  • Stickers to decorate

Do you know what a calendar is used for? It shows us the days, weeks, months and years and helps us to keep a record of what we have to do. It also points out important days such as our birthday which is the same every year. Christmas Day is an important date also, it may be any day of the week but it’s always celebrated on December 25th.

In the Gospel today Jesus told his followers that an important day was coming. He told them that a day was coming when people would see him coming in the clouds with power and glory. He told them that on that day he would send his angels to gather his people and take them home to heaven to be with him. That’s an important day, what do you think? When is it going to be? We don’t know when it will be. Jesus told his followers no one knows the day or hour when I will return. Only the Father (God) knows. That is why we must be ready, as Jesus might come when we least expect it. Yet, if we don’t know when Jesus is coming how can we be ready?  We can be ready by doing the things that Jesus would want us to be doing, such as loving one another, caring for the sick, helping our friends and neighbours and helping the poor.  If we are busy doing these things then we will be ready when Jesus comes again. Today the Church also celebrates “World Day of the Poor.” On this day Pope Francis invites us to offer friendship and to reach out and support the poorest of our sisters and brothers. We should remember them especially in our prayers today. 

To remind you that Jesus has promised that He is coming again, you could make a paper plate cloud decoration. Collect all the items listed, draw a horizontal line across the middle of the paper plate.  On the top half stick the cotton wool to look like clouds. On the bottom write verse 26 from the Gospel “Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds, with great power and glory.” Then decorate the edge of the plate, make a hole on the top edge of the plate and thread string/ribbon through so that you can hang it up. 

You can do this whilst listening to the song; “Jesus is Alive”.

Sign of the cross.

We pray for the Church throughout the world, that she may be a voice for the poor. We pray for the world leaders, that they will work for the good of all humanity. We pray for our local community, that we may show our love through our respect for each other and for our environment, gladly sharing what we have with those in need. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

In the Gospel today Jesus teaches about the signs of the coming of the Son of God. We don’t know when the things which Jesus talks about will happen, we should not be frightened by these signs, but we should be ready to meet Him.

  • Many things in our world are subject to change, but Jesus’ words to us and his love for us will last forever.
  • Craft card
  • Cross template
  • Pencil and colours
  • Scissors/ glue stick
templateDownload

When we predict the weather what signs do we use? We use temperature, wind direction and force, clouds (maybe you can think of other signs). If someone was to ask you to predict what the weather is going to be tomorrow, do you think your predictions would be accurate? Why or why not? They might be accurate because we heard a forecaster on the radio or TV giving the weather report or they might not be accurate because we don’t know how to read the weather signs around us. We could make a guess about what tomorrow’s weather will be but that is not really a prediction (a prediction is a guess which you make based on signs or clues which have already happened). 

Without the help of someone who is a trained meteorologist (a person who studies the weather signs), most probably our weather predictions will not be correct. 

Just as signs help meteorologists predict the weather, Jesus told us that there will be signs that will indicate that the end of the world is near. “The sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, and the stars will come falling out of the sky,” when these things happen we will see “the Son of Man coming in the clouds.” This is what Jesus tells us will happen when He comes again (the end of time). Do you think we will be able to predict when this will happen? Jesus tells us that only God knows when these things will happen. Jesus does not want us to be frightened by these signs, and we should not be afraid about the fact that the world will one day come to an end. Many things in our lives change, but Jesus tells us that His words to us and God’s love for us will never change.

To help us prepare for the second coming of Jesus we can cut out the cross template and reinforce it by sticking it onto the craft card.

Write in the centre of the cross “BE PREPARED FOR JESUS” Then on the 4 arms of the cross write 4 ways in which we can prepare ourselves for Jesus.

Love one another, read your Bible, go to mass and pray every day.

Listen to the song; J.E.S.U.S.

Sign of the cross.

Thank you God for your great, never-ending love which you revealed to us through your Son Jesus Christ. Help us to grow in our love and faith for you as we read your Holy Word and think about how you show us the true path of life. Amen.

Gospel in symbolsDownload

How to use this space

God speaks to us in many ways, including through the Sunday Scripture readings. Here you will find useful background and activities to better understand the upcoming Sunday's Scripture readings, helping you to connect the Scripture to daily life in a meaningful way.