Readings Preview, 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1, Malachi 3:19-20a  It’s easy to find the book of the prophet Malachi. It is the very last work included in the Old Testament. Although it was probably written four and a half centuries before the birth of Jesus, its message points to a new age and ends by predicting the return of Elijah, interpreted by Christians as being fulfilled in the person of John the Baptist.

Reading II, 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12  A few weeks ago I mentioned that there was a lot of talk in the Thessalonian community regarding the timing of Jesus’ return. Apparently some folks, believing it will be very soon, decided it was futile to work. With time on their hands, they just hang around and talk about everyone else…then expect others to feed them as the wait is longer than they had expected. Maybe someone from the community had written to Paul asking his advice on what to do with these folks. Paul, who took pride on financing his own ministry with his tent-making rather than relying on contributions, gave them the response they needed, “If they don’t work, they shouldn’t eat.”

Luke 21:5-19  Last week I wrote about the Jewish independence won in the Maccabean revolt in the 2nd century before Christ. That independence was short-lived as the Jewish community soon broke into factions, one of which asked the Roman army to help put things in order. The Romans came and stayed, making Judea a Roman territory. Two of Jesus’ disciples (Judas Iscariot and Simon the Zealot) probably came from guerilla-style groups trying to free Judea from Roman dominance. The Sanhedrin accused Jesus of a similar intent when they brought him before Pilate. Thirty-some years after Jesus’ death and resurrection, a group of Zealots were actually successful, killing off all Roman troops in the region and declaring their independence. Rome marched their best army into Jewish territory, moving in a path of destruction from north to south. Re-taking the city of Jerusalem, the Roman army completely destroyed the temple. It has never been rebuilt. It is tempting to interpret events such as the destruction of the temple, persecutions, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, etc. as precursors of the end times. Some Christian denominations and preachers have predicted specific dates for the end as well. While believing in an eventual Second Coming of Christ, the Catholic Church prefers to focus on being ready at all times rather than try to figure out the exact time.