Vol. 36 No. 59                                                                          Cycle B 33rd SUNDAY OF THE YEAR But of that day or that hour no one knows.   ENTRANCE ANTIPHON The Lord says: my plans for you are peace and not disaster; when you call to me, I will listen to you, and I will bring you back to the place from which I exiled you.   PENITENTIAL RITE The Church begins and ends her Liturgical Year with Scripture passages that remind us of our end and the end of the world. Today’s readings remind us that this universe will come to an end one day. Then will come the final judgment, when Christ will gather his faithful followers from the four corners of this earth. Jesus warned the people of his time to be ever vigilant living according to the truths he had taught them. Today Jesus is speaking to us, the present generation, the same words he spoke 2000 years ago. Let us believe in and accept the salvific plan of God, and avail ourselves of this opportunity to repent and be prepared. I confess... Glory to God... OPENING PRAYER Let us pray: Father of all that is good, keep us faithful in serving you, for to serve you is our lasting joy. We ask this… FIRST READING (The reading from the Book of Daniel puts before us the fact that this world will have an end marked by great upheavals and disasters. However, these will be followed immediately by a new and everlasting existence.) A reading from the Book of Daniel (12: 1-3) Michael, the great prince, shall arise who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time; but at that time your people shall be delivered, every one whose name shall be found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. This is the Word of the Lord PSALM (15) Response: Preserve me, God, I take refuge in you. O Lord, it is you who are my portion and cup; it is you yourself who are my prize. I keep the Lord ever in my sight: since he is at my right hand, I shall stand firm. R./ And so my heart rejoices, my soul is glad; even my body shall rest in safety. R./ For you will not leave my soul among the dead, nor let your beloved know decay. R./ You will show me the path of life, the fullness of joy in your presence, at your right hand happiness for ever. R./ SECOND READING (The author of Hebrews stresses that there is no comparison between the intercession that the Old Testament priests made for the chosen people of God and the intercession that Christ has made and continues to make for us.) A reading from the Letter to the Hebrews (10: 11-14, 18) Every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, then to wait until his enemies should be made a stool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. This is the Word of the Lord ACCLAMATION (Lk 21: 36) Alleluia, alleluia! Watch at all times, praying that you may have the strength to stand before the Son of man. Alleluia! GOSPEL (The message we must learn from today’s gospel comes across without any ambiguity or doubt: we must always be ready to face our judgement for we know not the day nor the hour when we will be called from this life.) A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Mark (13: 24 – 32) Jesus said to his disciples, “In those days, after the great tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away before all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. “But of that day or that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” This is the Gospel of the Lord I believe in God,/the Father almighty,/ Creator of heaven and earth./ I believe in Jesus Christ,/his only Son, our Lord./ He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit/ and born of the Virgin Mary./He suffered under Pontius Pilate,/was crucified, died, and was buried./He descended to the dead./On the third day he rose again./He ascended into heaven,/and is seated at the right hand of the Father./He will come again to judge the living and the dead./I believe in the Holy Spirit,/the holy catholic Church,/the communion of saints,/the forgiveness of sins,/the resurrection of the body,/and the life everlasting./ Amen. PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL Cel: Dear brothers and sisters, God has established his people in hope. He has promised us a share in His Son’s resurrection on the last day. Nothing can break the confidence of those who love Him and obey Him. Trusting in our Father’s love and mercy, let us place before Him all our petitions, saying: Response: Father, have mercy on us, your loving children. 1. We pray for our Pope and all the pastors of the Church; bless them with firm faith and make it a source of life for others; grant them courage and compassion in their ministry. R./ 2. We pray for those who are oppressed, those persecuted for race, colour or religion; let their dignity be respected and their rights upheld. R./ 3. We pray for those who are called to Religious Life; you have chosen them to be heralds of the Good News, help them to enter the depths of its message and to make it their own. R./ 4. We pray for political and world leaders; create through them a new world where injustice and destruction will give way to growth, freedom, justice and peace. R./ 5. We pray for all hardened sinners; grant them a humble and contrite heart, so that they may turn back to you and experience your mercy and love, and be saved. R./ (Pray for local and personal needs) Cel: Almighty Father, your love renews all things and is the source of our hope. Lord, grant us the power of your Spirit, and guide us to carry out all you have called us to do. Help us to live keeping eternity before us. We ask this through… PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS Lord God, may the gifts we offer increase our love for you and bring us to eternal life. We ask this… PREFACE (P 34) Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks. In you we live and move and have our being. Each day you show us a Father’s love; your Holy Spirit, dwelling within us, gives on earth the hope of unending joy. Your gift of the Spirit, who raised Jesus from the dead, is the foretaste and promise of the paschal feast of heaven. With thankful praise, in company with the angels, we glorify the wonders of your power: All: Holy, holy, holy... COMMUNION ANTIPHON It is good for me to be with the Lord and to put my hope in him. PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION Father, may we grow in love by the Eucharist we have celebrated in memory of the Lord Jesus, who is Lord for ever and ever. Liturgy & Life   The Liturgical year winds down with the images of the end of history. Today’s First Reading from the Book of Daniel speaks of a time “unsurpassed in distress” but followed by a general resurrection from the dead, when “those who lead many to righteousness shall be like the stars forever” (12:3). The Gospel that concludes the Markan Cycle of readings also comes at the end of Jesus’ eschatological discourse, in which he predicts the destruction of the Temple and the return of the Son of Man in glory. Yet Jesus resists a timetable for these events and tells a parable about reading the signs of the times, for that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Mk 13:32). In his book ‘Rediscovering the Parables’, Joachim Jeremias underscores the sign of our Lord’s coming, namely, the fig tree sprouting its leaves. In Palestine the fig tree is different from other trees because it sheds its leaves annually. Its stark spiky twigs make it appear quite dead until new life bursts forth when the rising sap returns. According to Jeremias, our Lord uses this image to direct our attention, not towards the dreadful portents of the end time, but towards the new life that will be manifested when he comes in glory. When will this end time of life’s definitive triumph over death come? No one knows. But in the meantime, we can anticipate this final triumph by intermediate ones. We may still have tough times to go through—like death striking our family, accidents happening, terrorist attacks, losing our job or being let down by friends. But because Christ has already won the victory for us, we will not let these tough times defeat us. Instead, we will turn them around into triumphs of some kind—like entering new relationships, taking on new tasks or developing new outlooks. Television preacher and author Robert Schuller used to say: “Tough times don’t last. Tough people do.” We must not lose hope, then, if tough times come upon us or even if we have made big mistakes in the past. For the Lord promises to stay with us during the tough times of winter and give us new life. May today’s Psalm be our prayer during the tough times of our life. —Fr Sebastian Kattackal, ssp November 2009 READINGS OF THE WEEK Psalter Week 1 16 Mon (G) 1 Mac 1:10-15,41-43,54-57,62-64; Ps 118:53,61,134,150,155,158; Lk 18:35-43 17 Tue (W) St Elizabeth of Hungary, (mem) 2 Mac 6:18-31; Ps 3:2-3,4-5,6-7; Lk 19:1-10 18 Wed (W) Dedication of the Basilica of Ss Peter & Paul, 2 Mac 7:1,20-31; Ps 16:1, 5-6,8b&15; Lk 19:11-28 19 Thu (G) 1 Mac 2:15-29; Ps 49:1-2,5-6,14-15; Lk 19:41-44 20 Fri (G) 1 Mac 4:36-37,52-59; Ps 1 Chr 29:10,11,12,13; Lk 19:45-48 21 Sat (W) The Presentation of the BVM (mem) Zech 2:14-17; Ps Lk 1:46-47,48-49,50-51,52-53,54-55; Lk 12:46-50