THE DAY IS COMING…

XXXIII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Malachi 3:19-20

The day is coming… It sounds like a threat or at least a warning. Which day is the prophet talking about? The day of judgement, when justice will be done. It will be a fearsome day for evildoers. And seeing so much injustice and violence in the world, where the poor are  trampled upon, many people say with a deep feeling: Let that day come, before we loose hope. The wealthy and the powerful live as if they are the owners of the earth, claiming the right to be served by everybody else, whom they transform into slaves, condemning them to suffering. And the poor cry out to God. It may seem that God does not care and does not pay attention to them, abandoning them to their own fate. However, if we read through the Bible, we find this constant that God is on the side of the poor and listens to their cry. 

Yes, the day is coming… The Virgin Mary was so sure of its coming that she saw it already here, praising God for it:

“He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,

and lifted up the lowly;

he has filled the hungry with good things,

and sent the rich away empty.” (Lk 1:51-53)

That day will be the day of the coming of the Lord, and for those who walk on the ways of the Lord, that day will be a day of rejoicing. The prophet Malachi announces that day as a day of healing and salvation:

But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will shine out with healing in its rays. (Malachi 3:20).

And we must look forward to that day with hope. It is not surprising that, since the beginning of the Church, the Christians have always cried out: Marana tha! Come, Lord Jesus. (1 Cor 16:22; Rev 22:20). Come Lord, and bring your Kingdom, a kingdom of justice and righteousness, a king of peace. And we pray daily: “They Kingdom come!”

Being anxious for the coming of the Lord, there are people who announce the day of its coming. Jesus warns us about that, saying:

“Take care not to be deceived,’ he said ‘because many will come using my name and saying, “I am he” and, “The time is near at hand.” Refuse to join them.” (Lk 21:)

In this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus mixes up the prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem and the teaching about the end of times. They are two different things, but putting them together, Jesus wants to enable us to look at the tragedies of the present moment as reminders of the times to come. We must be prepared and confident in God’s love and mercy. If we are true disciples of Jesus Christ, we must be prepared for persecution, because we will be rejected, despised and hated. We must pass through the way of the cross, following in the footsteps of Jesus. And there we will give witness to the Lord.

“You will be hated by all men on account of my name, but not a hair of your head will be lost. Your endurance will win you your lives.” (Lk 21:17-19).

And in the Lord we will find salvation.

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Reflecting on Trump’s election

We are still trying to digest the big surprise of Trump becoming the president of the United States of America. Very few were foreseeing it. And most thought that the American people would be wise enough to reject  a crazy man. But he was chosen to the surprise of many.

It was a protest vote of people disenchanted with a political class that separated themselves from the common man. They are bored and tired with what the politicians have been offering.

Hilary Clinton had a far better organised and funded campaign, but she did not speak to the soul of the people. She should have seen the warning signs in the struggle she had to go through in order to get the nomination. The young people and the poor people were not with her. They saw her policies as a carrying on of Obama’s policies and the media, while campaigning for her, liked to indulge in the common assumption that she shares her husband’s corruption.

People are tired of the political correctness and from one day to the other they threw it off the board. Going against the feeling of many people, the Obama administration imposed transgender bathrooms in the public schools, meaning “that students who identify as transgender must be allowed to use the private facilities that match their gender identity with “no medical diagnosis or treatment requirement.” 

Small but vocal groups have all their rights safeguarded, while the rights of the majority are ignored. To promote  gender ideology is  a sign of political correctness, and gay couples are allowed to adopt children. Religion - mainly Christianism - is seen as an obstacle for the advancement of policies like the gay agenda, the gender ideology, abortion and euthanasia. They were preparing to create groups and movements to fight the Christian Churches from within.

It is not surprising that some people in the Christian Churches accused Clinton of being the Devil, because of being surrounded by people with an atheistic agenda.

However, with Clinton, we knew what to expect. Trump is unpredictable. He is a rich man who will be on the side of the rich, without any consideration for the poor, the refugees, the ilegal immigrants. Where is he going to take America? Many of those who voted for him will be disappointed.

Let us pray for a better world, a world of peace, where justice is for all.