Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
In today’s Gospel we get a very vivid picture of how the end of the world might break in upon us. It’s clear that Mark thought it was going to happen in the lifetime of some of his hearers. It didn’t, and many generations later we’re still waiting.
This is not to say that the reign of God doesn’t regularly break in upon us. We believe that every day more good is done in the world than evil; else this world would destroy itself. And we hold that the source of all love is Christ. So, every time we are kind rather than cruel, patient rather than intolerant, generous rather than selfish, beautiful rather than ugly, the reign of God bursts into our lives.
One translation of verse 27 in today’s Gospel reads, “Then he will send out the angels and gather together his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.” The whole idea of “the elect” has exercised the imagination of several generations of Christians ever since this verse was written. The Protestant Reformation was, in part, based on who Christ elects to be his own, how we get elected, and how we stay that way.
John Calvin was especially interested in this question and he rightly linked the goodness of our lives with those elected by Christ. But Calvin and many Catholic scholars have interpreted the meaning of this text too narrowly.
Remembering that Mark thinks the end of the world is soon, that his community is being persecuted for their Christian faith and that Christianity has not spread all that far by the time he writes this Gospel around 65 AD, it’s somewhat surprising to read that the elect might be made up of people who come from the ends of the earth. We can safely assume that at this time not many people, beyond the Mediterranean basin, had heard about Christ. Even if this more generous and inclusive reading is not what Mark means when he refers to this world, it would be mean-spirited of us to imagine that all he means in reference to the elect in heaven are only those professing Christians who had died in his lifetime.
The more consoling reading of who is in the elect, is to understand it as including anyone, anywhere, whose life enables faith, hope, love, beauty, justice and peace to break in upon the world.
And so what makes being a Christian so special? We know who’s doing the electing and why, and we have each other as we struggle to live out Christ’s reign every day—until he comes again.
-- Fr. Eric T. Carpine, ofm
- Previous Reflections
- Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Thirieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
- Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
- Twelfth Sunday of Ordinary Time
- The Body and Blood of Christ
- Trinity Sunday
- Pentecost
- Seventh Sunday of Easter
- Sixth Sunday of Easter
- Fifth Sunday of Easter
- Fourth Sunday of Easter
- Third Sunday of Easter
- Second Sunday of Easter
- Easter Sunday
- Palm Sunday
- Fifth Sunday in Lent
- Fourth Sunday in Lent
- Third Sunday in Lent
- Second Sunday in Lent
- First Sunday in Lent
- Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Baptism of the Lord
- Epiphany
- Holy Family
- Fourth Sunday of Advent
- Third Sunday of Advent
- Second Sunday of Advent
- First Sunday of Advent
- Christ The King
- Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome
- All Souls Day
- Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Exaltation of the Holy Cross
- Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
