« The
end of the liturgical year is near.
« The
readings this week have an apocalyptic tone.
« Let us
try to discover the real meaning of the images presented both in the Old
Testament, and in the Gospel.
« Let
us “remove the sandals” from our feet, as God said to Moses, because we are on
holy ground, where God comes to us through signs taken from nature.
FIRST READING:
Daniel 12: 1-3
Ø The
book of Daniel has characteristics which are unique:
o
It begins in Hebrew
o
From 2:4 to the end of chapter 7 it is written
in Aramaic.
o
Then is turns again to the Hebrew from chapter 8 to 12:13.
o
The Greek translation has passages which
are not found in the Hebrew-Aramaic text: the prayer of three young man in the
furnace 3:24-90; the story of Susanna ch.13,
Daniel and the idols ch. 14.
o
The Church has incorporated them among the
canonical books, while the Jews and the Christian denominations from the
Reformation do not consider them canonical.
Ø The
message of this book, like the message of the book of Revelation in the New
Testament, is about hope. After the
sufferings of the present time, which in that time were domination of Antioch
IV and his profanation of the Temple, the Kingdom of God
will be established.
o
During the time of waiting the earthly kingdoms
are called to acknowledge the sovereignty of God, and also to respect the right
to profess our own religion. All of this will happen on due time, nobody knows
the date.
o
To the people of Israel God asks them to be
faithful like the three young men in the furnace.
o
As we advance in the Reading of the book we
realize that to be part of the kingdom of God will not coincide with being part
of the Jewish people, because some of them abandon the covenant.
o
Not even being distinguished persons assures that they are just (story of
Susanna)
o
The apocalyptic hope of Daniel is not against
the loyal cooperation in the worldly affairs, Daniel works in the court of the
King of Babylon.
Ø The literary
style is very interesting
o
Apocalypse means Revelation, a revelation that
has to be done in order to understand the meaning of the texts.
o
The messages are brought by angels, or by
persons who have gone to heaven and come back as messengers
o
To describe the coming or the presence of the
Most High God, the authors describe awesome natural phenomena.
o
The good and the evil are represented by real or
fantastic animals.
Ø To
understand the message we need to go deep into the meaning of the signs, only
then we will be able to discover the real meaning.
Ø We
may say that the text is written using a symbolic language.
Ø
Today’s Reading
o
In verses 1-3 we find the biblical foundation
for the resurrection of the dead.
o
For many commentators these verses are the high
point of the revelation in the book of Daniel.
o
They are also an answer to the question on
justice. Those who are good suffer in this world, while the evil men usually
prosper. The book of Daniel says that God will reward his faithful ones and
that an everlasting punishment will come upon the evildoers.
o
We do not know when these wonderful things will
take place, its time is hidden behind numbers and enigmatic words.
o
Peace and security come from the knowledge that this
is the Word of God, and God is always faithful.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM – Psalm 16 – YOU ARE MY INHERITANCE O LORD!
God is my lot. These words remind to us the
distribution of the promised land among
the Tribes, the Tribe of Levi was not allotted any land, God is its
inheritance.
The cup has the meaning of joy, the cup of
blessing, of salvation; but the cup means also suffering, will you be able to
drink the cup I am going to drink?...as Jesus asked the two brothers James and
John.
The joy in the Lord is so great that the whole
person is involved: soul and body.
You showed me the path of life, and You will never abandon me.
Thus I will rejoice in your presence for
ever.
GOSPEL MARK 13:24-32
§ Mark
describes Jesus pronouncing this speech.
§
In those days, what days? The days when the
things Jesus is telling us will happen. There is not an exact chronological date.
§ As
in the Book of Daniel, Jesus speaks of tribulations.
§ A
commentator says: the sun will not give its light anymore, neither the moon, the
stars will fall. All of this will happen because their light is not needed
anymore, our light will be the Lamb, as we read in the Book of Revelation.
§ When
these things happen it will be the Second Coming of the Lord, described as the
coming of a Son of Man over the clouds with power and majesty. What a wonderful
description of whom Jesus is: true God and true man, at the same time.
§
His servants the angels will gather the chosen
ones from the four corners of the earth. This means all. No one is lost, all
are present to Him.
§ Jesus
invites his disciples to read the signs of the time as they read the signs from
nature. He gives the comparison of the
fig tree, when its branches sprout leaves we know that summer is near. In the
same way when we see the things which are told to us in a symbolic language,
happen, it means that the second coming is near. His words will never pass
away.
§ What
a consoling gospel, full of hope for all, but in a very especial way for those
who are suffering!
COME LORD JESUS DO NOT DELAY YOUR COMING!
SECOND READING
: Heb 10:11-14.18
ü Every
priest performs his ministry every day, offering a sacrifice which cannot
save.
ü He
has offered only one sacrifice and He is seated at the right hand of the
Father, this means that Jesus is God as the Father.
ü He waits
for the moment when his enemies will be put beneath his feet. His enemies will
give him the honor they did not want to give to him during his mortal life, and
not even afterwards during our human history.
ü He
has consecrated those who are his own by means of his only sacrifice.
ü He
consecrates us, to make us his own for ever. All called to this consecration.
Now that I have said
something about how much God our Lord is pleased by a disinterested heart, this
great king of heaven and earth has protected, guided and governed me since the
moment His powerful hand took me out of the convent of Tarragona (which was my
first heaven) until he brought me to this new world, Santiago, Cuba city, with
so great security in the midst of so many and imminent risks that only your
infinite power, my God could save my life. Venerable Maria Antonia París, Foundress of
the Claretian Missionary Sisters, Autobiography 93.
I understood, my God, how important it is for a
missionary's effectiveness that he not only be beyond reproach, but appear so
to everyone because people pay more attention to what they see in a missionary
than to what they hear him say. This is why it was said of Jesus, the model of
missionaries, "He began to do and teach.'' Doing
comes first, then teaching. Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Founder of the Claretian
Missionary Sisters. Autobiography 388.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
CLARET, Antonio María. Autobiografía.
PARIS, María Antonia. Autobiografía en Escritos
RAVASI, Gianfranco. Según las Escrituras-Año B. San Pablo
2005.
Schökel, Luis Alonso, La Biblia de
nuestro Pueblo.
Sagrada Biblia. Versión oficial de la Conferencia
episcopal española.
