Jesus empties himself and humbly obeys, to the shameful death on the cross. So, God lifts him up, fills him with glory. Through him, with him and in him, defeat is triumph. 

Defeat is hard to take. It leaves those who bear it feeling depressed. Yet those who follow Christ are not to feel that way. And today’s readings teach us this.

The gospel reading ends with Jesus saying, “But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” This is the short answer to Peter, James, John and Andrew. For they have asked, out of earshot of others, “When will this come about? And what will be the sign that all these things are about to take place?”

So, Jesus’ first four disciples are still with him as his work on earth winds down. And since they are the first to answer his call, they may well be closer to him than others. But their being first means, for sure, that they will have to be the last of all. They must also serve and suffer more than the others.

And the long answer makes clear that they will go through tough and shocking times. Besides, they will suffer persecution, taste defeat and know distress firsthand. And they will see the world collapse around them.

Defeat is not the last word.

Yes, the old world must collapse to give way to the new world. Hence, those who follow Christ are not to focus on what depresses and distresses them and makes them more anxious. Rather, they should fix their gaze on the heavens to see the Son of Man come down in the clouds. With great power and glory. After all, the hard times, persecution, defeat and distress are but a sign that he is near, at the gates.

This, of course, means that the disciples share his passion and death to share his resurrection. In other words, they pass through defeat, suffering, loss, death to rise though him, with him and in him. Only such self-sacrifice, such giving up of the body and shedding of blood, leads to new life. Yes, to die is to live.

Lord Jesus Christ, help us to grasp that only through you, with you and in you, can we be sure that no evil will touch us, though our defeat seems to overwhelm us and all about us seems headed to ruin (see (CRCM II, 2). Grant us to know, besides, that we are in good hands since we know that only the Father knows. We shall thus get to see also that it is for a reason, though we do not know it now, that things we do not like come our way (SV.EN VII:304).

17 November 2024
33rd Sunday in O.T. (B)
Dn 12, 1-3; Heb 10, 11-14. 8; Mk 13, 24-32