November 17, 2012

33rd Sunday


Commentary
Mark 13: 24-32

The end! 

We know that it will happen.  But nobody knows when and how.

Jesus used images that were familiar to his listeners from both the prophets [1] and their life experiences of nature to remind them that the world as they know it will end. 

Then Jesus taught them the attitude they must have: to trust.  

The location of the passage in the Gospel of Mark and in the cycle of the Sunday readings can shed some light on its meaning.  Last Sunday, Jesus gave us the example of the poor widow’s total trust in God.  Then, after this Chapter 13, the events related to Jesus’ passion and death begin.  In Jesus, we have the supreme model of trust in God’s plan of love.

With that attitude, the disciples need not to worry about when and how the world will end.  

Instead, they can focus their lives on Jesus’ words, which alone “will not pass away.”  Moreover, their lives, words, and actions can witness and preach that words of Jesus to others.

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 [1] Francis J. Moloney, The Gospel of Mark: A Commentary.  Peabody, MA: Hendrikson Publishers, 2002; p. 268.

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