33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time

Is it my imagination, or have I been hearing more tests of the Emergency Broadcast System on the radio in recent months? I’m a child of the Cold War and Vietnam era. When I was young, I remember Emergency Broadcast System tests were quite common. It seemed they would occur at least once a week. The radio would be playing in the kitchen or the car when a loud horn would sound. A high-pitched alarm would then follow for a few seconds. Then a man with a somber tone of voice would come on and say, “This has been a test and only a test of the Emergency Broadcast System conducted by the broadcasters in your local area. If this had been an actual emergency, you would have been advised to tune into a station in your area to hear up-to-the-minute advisories. This has only been a test.” 

Having lived through the Cuban Missile Crisis of the early 1960s, I still feel great apprehension whenever an emergency broadcast system test comes on the radio. I can’t help sucking in my breath and not letting it out until the test is complete. The experiences of my youth make me wonder every time I hear an alert if nuclear war has broken out and the world is headed for destruction. 

Once the Cold War simmered down in the 1990s, Emergency Broadcast Tests seemed to interrupt radio and television programs much less often. But since Russia invaded Ukraine earlier this year, President Biden has warned that we live in a time when there is a dangerous threat of nuclear war. God forbid, but Vladimir Putin might become frustrated with the situation of his war on Ukraine and start throwing atom bombs at his adversaries. Maybe that is why there seem to be more frequent tests of the broadcast system in recent months. I’m happy that the government and broadcast industry are ensuring the system is ready to respond today and not waiting until a crisis arises. 

As Christians, we believe we live during the end times. In today’s Gospel, Jesus warned His disciples and all those listening to Him that the world, as they knew it, was passing away. He told the crowd:

“All that you see here-the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will be thrown down."

The readings remind us the end is coming, and everyone must prepare. We can’t wait for a crisis; we must test our emergency response systems and be prepared to react in faith when the end comes. 

Throughout salvation history, people have been trying to figure out the date and time of the world’s end. It seems every few years, a so-called prophet of doom will come along, preaching they have calculated the time of the world’s end down to the day and hour. The appointed time comes and goes, and they are proved wrong.

Despite these false alarms, today’s readings warn us we must prepare for the end times. Jesus told His disciples that the exact moment when God will complete time is known only to God the Father, and not even Jesus knew the precise time of the world’s end. While no one knows the day and the hour of the end of our existence, we know it will end personally for each of us. Death will overtake all of us, and we must prepare. 

Even before death comes to us, we will experience the end of the world numerous times. Few people can get through life without, at some point, experiencing the feeling their world is ending. Our world might feel like it is ending after the loss of a job or business, a false accusation of crime, infidelity or betrayal of a spouse or friend, divorce, or death of a loved one are all instances when it feels like the world has ended.

Jesus warned His disciples they would feel their world coming to an end when they faced great trials and persecutions because of their faithfulness to Him. He warned them opponents would drag them before governors and into synagogues because they were faithful to Jesus’ name. Even parents, brothers, relatives, and friends would betray them, and they would be imprisoned and even called on to give their lives because of their faithfulness to Him. 

People can react in several different ways when they face what feels like impending destruction. They can flee and try to hide out, hoping the crisis will quickly subside. Then they can return to life as it was. Others surrender because they feel resisting the threat will be too costly, and they believe fighting will be futile. Others ignore the trouble and live as if nothing is happening to their world. Some choose to fight; they refuse to give in because they know justice is on their side, and they will eventually overcome their adversaries with God’s grace. 

How do we prepare to face the occasions when it feels like our world is ending? The best response is today’s Gospel Acclamation. It was:

“Stand erect and raise your head because your redemption is at hand.”

When we face the threat of destruction, we must model ourselves after Jesus. We believe we can depend on God because, like Jesus, we have a faithful relationship with the Father. We recall that each one of us is precious to God. We gain strength if we remember God is watching over us and knows us intimately. We prepare ourselves for the trials of the end time by reminding ourselves God is at our side always.

Paul reassured the Thessalonians in today’s Second Reading that they would be secure if they imitated him and his way of life while he was in their city. Paul was concerned about the Thessalonians because he heard they had misinterpreted his preaching about Jesus’ return in the flesh. Some of the members of the community believed Jesus’ return was imminent. They had quit their jobs and began sponging off those still working. With time on their hands, they were becoming disruptive to the community.

Paul reminds the Thessalonians of how he had lived when he was with them and encouraged them to live as he did. He warns them not to disregard their responsibilities to provide for themselves if they are able. He warns that if they are idle, they can tend to start sowing doubts about what Paul had taught them, and they can begin to sow discord and mistrust. 

When we are concerned about our future, we need to keep busy. It doesn’t help the troubled mind to have time on its hands. Our worries, anger, and concerns only worsen if our hands and minds are idle. So when distressed, try to keep busy; time will go faster.

The Thessalonians were encouraged by Paul to keep working tirelessly, spreading the good news of Jesus. Speaking about our love for our relationship with Jesus and encouraging others to have a friendship with Jesus builds up the Church and helps it to grow even in the face of our problems.

We prepare for the end of time, whether it be the end of the world or our death, by trusting in God. We will overcome fear if we take every opportunity to receive God’s wisdom. If we take God at His word and plan our future, we will come to be in God’s presence at the end of time.

If we have a good relationship with God the Father and Jesus, the promise is that our world will never end. How is your relationship with God? Does your prayer life help your confidence in eternal life? Are you strengthening your relationship with Jesus through prayer and reading sacred scripture? You can start your relationship with Jesus with only a few minutes of prayer each day. Find a time and place that are good for you. Quiet your mind and heart, so you are open to listening to God’s call in your life. Read a passage of scripture, maybe the Gospel passage for the day. Stop when you find a word or phrase that speaks to you. Reflect on it and hear God’s call to practice what it tells you.

Be prepared for the end of your world by deepening your love of Jesus Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist. It isn’t only on Sunday, but every day at daily Mass, we have the opportunity to receive Jesus’ Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. Consider attending daily Mass sometime during the week. Invite God to send you grace always to be prepared for his coming at the end of time. As the broadcast industry has been testing its readiness to respond in an emergency, test your readiness to respond to Christ coming to you today.