33rd
Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C – Nov. 16, 2025
Malachi 3:19-20; 2
Thessalonians 3:7-12; Luke 21:5-19
Theme:
We Should Not Worry About the End of Time, But Rather Focus on Our Christian
Mission
A. A
Brief Exegetical Analysis of Luke 21:5-19
1.
Historical and Literary Contexts
Luke addressed
this story to a community struggling to live by faith. The people believed that
Jesus, who had been raised from the dead, would return soon. However, as time
went on, the delay in Jesus’ return caused doubt and challenged their beliefs
about his second coming. So, their focus was on knowing exactly when Jesus
would return and what signs might indicate his arrival. In Chapter 21, where
our Gospel passage comes from, Luke told them that Jesus himself had predicted
the end of time, explained the signs and events that would happen before it,
and spoke of his second coming. Before the section of our passage, Luke told
his readers about the tensions between the Jewish religious leaders and Jesus
(chapter 20), and in Chapter 22, he began the Passion narrative.
2.
Form, Structure, and Movement
This
apocalyptic story can be divided into three parts. Jesus first foretells the
destruction of the Temple in the context of an eschatological event (vv. 5-6).
Second, he responds to their questions about when and the signs of this event
(vv. 7-11). Third, he predicts the persecutions of believers before all this
happens (vv. 12-19).
3.
Detailed Analysis
Vv. 5-6. Jesus
begins his teaching by predicting the destruction of the temple that the people
admire. This is the temple that Herod the Great started building and was
finished in AD 66. It was completely destroyed in AD 70, fulfilling Jesus’
prediction at that time.
Vv. 7-11. While
Jesus refers to the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, people want to learn
more about the end of time. Through their question in v. 7, they seek to
understand the exact timing of the end of the age and the signs that will come
before it. In his response, Jesus warns them to stay alert so they will not be
misled by many false prophets who will appear claiming to predict the end of
time in his name. For Jesus, wars, insurrections, earthquakes, famines, and
plagues around the world, along with remarkable sights and great signs from the
sky, will happen first, but this does not mean the end of the age. So,
believers should not be terrified.
Vv. 12-19.
Instead of worrying about knowing precisely when the end of time will happen
and the signs that will come before it, Jesus wants them to focus on their
mission of serving others and enduring persecutions and sufferings related to
it. He reveals that believers will be hated even by their own close relatives
because of his name. While some believers will die physically as a result of
persecution (v. 16b), their souls will not be destroyed (v. 18) because of
their perseverance (v. 19) in keeping their faith in Jesus.
4.
Synthesis
During Luke's
time, people were concerned about the delay of Jesus’s return at the end of the
age. They wanted to know precisely when it would happen and what signs would
appear beforehand. In this passage, Luke explains that Jesus himself addressed
these concerns. Jesus first urged people to stay alert so they would not be
deceived by false prophets claiming to predict the end of time in his name. Second,
he clarified that wars, rebellions, famine, and natural disasters like
earthquakes are all expected, but they do not signify the end of time, so
people must not be afraid. Instead of worrying about when the end will come and
what signs to watch for, Luke encourages his believers to focus on their
mission of proclaiming the Word of God and enduring persecution and suffering
for it. Even if some are put to death because of Jesus’s name, this death will
be physical; their souls will not be destroyed because of their
perseverance.
B. Pastoral
Implications
1.
Liturgical Context
As we approach the end of this liturgical
year C, the Church invites us today to meditate on Scripture readings related
to Jesus’ second coming at the end of the age. The first reading describes the
day that marks the end of time as the Day of Judgment, blazing like an oven.
The Gospel and Second Reading encourage us not to be afraid or worried about
when this day will come or what signs to watch for. Instead, we should focus on
our mission as Christians, endure persecution and suffering for it, and continue
working to earn our own food.
2.
What the Church Teaches Us Today
Our Holy Mother Church reminds us that
Jesus’ second coming at the end of time and final judgment, which will punish
the wicked and reward the righteous, will happen someday. The prophet Malachi
describes this more clearly in our first reading. He tells us that the “last
day,” blazing like an oven, will set all the proud and evildoers on fire, while
those who fear God will enjoy the sun of justice, with its healing rays. So,
like Luke’s contemporaries in our Gospel, we also fear the end of time today.
We want to know exactly when Jesus will return and try to interpret our daily
sufferings, including wars and natural disasters, as signs of the approaching
end of time. Our Holy Mother Church teaches us two things based on Jesus’
answer to the question that the people asked him about the exact day and events
that will mark the end of time.
First, Jesus urges us to stay alert and
not be deceived by false prophets who claim to predict the end of time in his
name. He explains that wars, rebellions, famine, and natural disasters, such as
earthquakes, are all expected, but they do not mean the end of time. So, we
should not be afraid (v. 9-11).
Second, Jesus shifts our focus from
worrying about when the end of times will come to the importance of our mission
as Christians right now. Instead of worrying about when the end of the age will
come, we should focus on serving others and ourselves today so that we can
reach heaven when the end arrives. Saint Paul teaches the Thessalonian
Christians and us the same lesson in our second reading.
The context of the second reading is that
many Thessalonians had stopped working because they were worried about “the Day
of the Lord,” which refers to the second coming of Jesus. They thought that if
everything was about to end and Christ was returning for the final judgment,
then there was no point in exerting themselves. Today, many of us act
similarly, not necessarily because of the end of the world but because of
various other trials we face. Due to the sufferings we experience daily, many
people feel like everything is over, and therefore, there is no need to make
further effort. Here, Saint Paul urges us not to be alarmed but to keep working
quietly. He invites us to imitate him and his companions as they worked
tirelessly day and night in toil and hardship.
As we continue to work both spiritually
and physically, Jesus, as presented in our Gospel, reminds us that it may not
be easy. We may be betrayed and hated by our close ones (parents, brothers,
sisters, relatives, and friends) because of Jesus’ name. He encourages us not
to give up but to endure all these sufferings (including death) because our
eternal salvation matters. The Gospel reading concludes with an invitation to
persevere. “By your perseverance, you will secure your lives” (Lk 21:19).
May the liturgy of this Mass help us to
not be afraid of the future, especially the end of time and final judgment, but
instead focus daily on our baptismal mission. Amen.
Rev.
Leon Ngandu, SVD
Pastor
of Holy Family Church in Jackson, MS &
SVD
USS Biblical Coordinator
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