BE WISE! THERE IS NO TIME!

⏰Tuesday of the Thirty-Fourth Week of Ordinary Time 2 (22 Nov 2016 – Memorial of St. Cecilia)

????Rev 14:14-19; Ps 96:10, 11-12, 13 (R.v.13b); Luke 21:5-11

????BE WISE! THERE IS NO TIME!

What is your understanding of the eschatological discourses of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke 21? Many understood that to mean that there is still plenty of time, but that is not so.

Remember that these Gospels were written down at the time the early Christians were still building up and were facing many temptations. There were sufferings everywhere and people were rising to give interpretations of these as signs of end time, and instilling more fear on people.

So the passage served as encouragement to the suffering people and an exhortation against false teachers, who would want to manipulate the situation to extort people.

Are we not faced with similar situations today? There is war everywhere, sufferings come in different categories and false prophets spring up here and there. We are equally warned to beware of these and remain calm.

However, we must take that to mean a permission to live our lives anyhow we want it. Rev 14:14-19 warns us of the impending day of judgement. Jesus already warned us to be ready at all times because we do not know the day nor the hour (Matt 24:42).

Armed with that important knowledge of judgement after death, St. Cecilia refused to give herself up in marriage to a pagan rich king, a marriage that would have been a danger to her soul. She suffered martyrdom for this and today enjoys eternal life. She thus teaches us to make effort to preserve our souls better than we care for our bodies.

May God grant us the grace to bear the trials of the present time and survive them. May he also grant us the grace to be prepared when he shall come in judgement with his angels. Amen.

I wish you a victorious day in the Lord. It is well with you.