November 15, 2015
Gospel: Mk 13:24-32
Jesus said to his disciples: "In those days after
that tribulation (1) 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 (2) 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 (3), I
say to you, this generation (4) 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 difficult words
(1) Tribulation is terrible
distress and suffering.
(2)
The elect are God's
chosen ones, who believe in him.
(3)
Someone said amen when they
wanted what they were about to say to be taken as a solemn promise. It was like
saying “I swear”.
(4) This generation refers to all
the people who are
living at the present time.
This week’s spotlight
The Father
When we get together at Mass on Sundays, we come to
meet God our Father along with all our Christian brothers and sisters. The
entire Mass directs us toward our Father. We listen to his word that nourishes
us and, with Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, we offer all our life to our
Father. We thank him for having sent his Spirit of love who, through Jesus,
transforms us more and more each day.
"Christ will come again”
After the consecration, we always say or sing the
memorial acclamation. We proclaim the "mystery of faith,” which usually
ends with “Christ will come again." We believe that Jesus is present on
the altar, and we cry out with hope that he will come again in glory. At Mass,
we see Jesus in the Eucharist with the eyes of faith. When he comes at the end
of time, we will see him face-to-face with the eyes of our risen body.
Reflection
Hope in your heart
Have you ever heard of a supernova? A supernova is an
old star that explodes. Knowing that our sun is a star, science tells us that
many millions of years from now, our sun will also explode. Thinking about that
could be a little scary. Today’s Gospel may seem even scarier, because Jesus
implies that the end of the world is coming soon! The sun will darken and the
stars will fall. Though it’s true that the world as we know it is passing away,
God’s love for us will never pass away. The Lord will come again to gather us
to himself and to judge the living and the dead - but that’s only scary if we
forget his love.
Jesus is reminding us that our lives on this earth are
temporary. We are made for God! Jesus, the Light of the World, is the only sun
we need. His words about the end of the world are a promise that we will live
for ever. Jesus doesn’t call us to fear, but to love. Living in Christ’s love
is not about a far away time and place. It’s about building God’s kingdom here
and now.
Discussion questions
1. What day does Jesus talk about in today’s gospel?
2. What signs does Jesus talk about?
3. Can anyone of us predict when the end of time is?
4. Who knows when this day is coming?
5. What should we do to prepare for the Son of Man’s coming?
Praying after Communion
After
receiving Holy Communion,
you can say this prayer silently to yourself. If you
have not yet
received your First Communion, you can still say this prayer because of your desire to
receive Jesus.
Father, through
Jesus, in communion with the whole Church, I thank you for coming into my
heart. May this
communion with the body and blood of your Son strengthen our faith in you, and
our hope of one day living with you for ever.
Crossword Puzzle
