Let us thank God for wanting us to be with Him forever
Reflections on the readings for the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time (November 18, 2018): DN 12:1-3; PS 16:5,8,9-10,11; HEB 10:11-14; MK 13:24-32
MISSIO offers “Mission In Scripture” to nurture a missionary heart, providing reflections on the missionary themes in the readings of Sundays, Feast Days and Holy Days.
The messages of Daniel and Jesus about the end of the world are addressed to spiritual communities that were undergoing suffering and persecution.
Yet Jews and Christians who were doing their utmost to live their faith with generous, open hearts knew they had nothing to fear. God loved them and they loved God. Through lives of prayer and concern for their neighbors, they had a firm hope in the eternity God planned for His precious children.
In today’s Psalm we hear an expression of joy and trust that we can proclaim for ourselves. “Therefore my heart is glad, my soul rejoices; my body also dwells secure. For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor let Your devout one see the pit. You will show me the path to life, abounding joy in Your presence, the delights at Your right hand forever” (Psalm 16:9-11). While we must never take our relationship with God or with one another for granted, we need not be consumed by fear of dying or of the last judgment. We need only do what our Lord asks of us: to follow His way humbly, honestly and gratefully; to love our neighbors as ourselves for love of God; and to embrace God’s loving mercy one day at a time.
Suggested missionary action: Let’s celebrate God’s goodness and compassion by thanking Him for His care for us now – and His desire to have us with Him for eternity. We can start by re-reading the 16th Psalm and contemplating the confidence that it expresses in the Almighty, even in times of distress.
