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Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

15 Nov 2015

SUNDAY SUMMARY Daniel 12:1-3 Death loses its sting and gains a sparkle as the just become like stars forever. Psalm 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11 Hell, by any other name, loses its monopoly on the dead for all time. Hebrews 10:11-14, 18 The key word here is “one.” When Jesus does a thing, it stays done. Mark 13:24-32 The fig tree’s short season from blossom to fruit hastens the gospel’s urgency.

Daniel 12:1-3 Psalm 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11 Mark 13:24-32 Hebrews 10:11-14, 18

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Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

18 Nov 2012

SUNDAY SUMMARY Daniel 12:1-3 In a time of distress the prophet proclaims that the people of God will escape once more. Psalm 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11 If God is your inheritance, what more do you need? Hebrews 10:11-14, 18 The daily sacrifices are no longer necessary after the one sacrifice of Jesus. Mark 13:24-32 Apocalypse rumbles through the final teaching of Jesus in Mark’s gospel.

Daniel 12:1-3 Psalm 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11 Mark 13:24-32 Hebrews 10:11-14, 18

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Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

15 Nov 2009

SUNDAY SUMMARY Daniel 12:1-3 The time of great distress will come, but the wise and the just will live to shine forever. Psalm 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11 Salvation means that God will guarantee our safety even in the hour of death. Hebrews 10:11-14, 18 The perfect offering of Jesus is enough for the eternal forgiveness of sin. Mark 13:24-32 Even in the time of darkness, those who follow the words of Jesus will find their way.

Daniel 12:1-3 Psalm 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11 Mark 13:24-32 Hebrews 10:11-14, 18

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The dance of life

Funeral, Sacrament-based, Holy Day, Holiday, Special Occasion - Sample homilies to be adapted for your use

Readings: Daniel 12:1-3; Psalm 42:2, 3, 5; Romans 6:3-9; John 14:1-6 In a museum in San Marco, Florence, resides The Last Judgment by 15th-century artist Blessed Fra Angelico. In a detail from that work, a scene depicts "the saved" joyfully dancing in a circle with angelic figures and others resurrected from the dead. This circle dance takes place before a walled city among the lush green foliage of a garden, filled with blossoming fruit and flowers, and exploding with color. In medieval times, dances were very common occurrences on the porches of the great churches. The porch represented paradise, the forecourt of heaven, where those saved gathered to enter. The interior of the church was seen as the heavenly temple. You and I gather here today in this earthly temple to both mourn and celebrate the passing of N. from the dance of earthly existence to the celestial dance before the vaulted gates of the Heavenly Jerusalem. We come together to pray that N. may be at the forecourt of heaven, engaged in a joyful dance with her loved ones. We ask a merciful God to usher her into the fullness of that eternal dance that Saint Ambrose claims is the "right of every Christian." Some may think us Christians a strange breed: We gather in the midst of the seeming definitiveness of death to celebrate our faith that our beloved, echoing Saint Paul's letter, will "live in the newness of life." But for Christians there is no contradiction. For we know that death is the essential prelude to the opening act of eternal life with God, the first pirouette in that eternal dance for which we are all destined. You and I spend a lifetime practicing for this moment N. has just met. Might that we meet it as courageously and decisively as she did! Some may think us Christians a strange breed: We gather in the midst of the seeming definitiveness of death to celebrate our faith that our beloved, echoing Saint Paul's letter, will "live in the newness of life." "When shall I go and behold the face of God?" asks the psalmist. "Send forth your light and your fidelity; they shall lead me on . . . . Then will I go to the altar of God, the God of my gladness and joy." N. was open to meeting God at that altar, when God chose to meet her, in that room lovingly prepared for N. from all eternity. The light and fidelity that led her to peaceful acceptance was the light and fidelity evidenced all around her in a family that never gave up on her, a family that she grew more and more grateful for as the dance of her life came full circle. After coming to terms with her impending death, N. embraced the reality of her life, and God responded by embracing her. God swooped into the dance and in an instant, N. was forever changed and transformed. That is the promise held out to each one of us. It is the hope by which we continue to live, here and now. It is the ultimate end of our human sojourn to which we daily aspire. This reminder is N.'s final gift to all of you. Through faith and friends, we move with the ebb and flow of human existence, accepting the small deaths of everyday life as well as rejoicing in the sometimes surprising, unexpected resurrections. It is the faith Jesus tenderly calls us back to in today's gospel, reminding us that our hearts need not be troubled. He personally is making room, preparing a place that is our unique spot in the dance of eternity, and he will personally lead us across the floor of time when our moment has arrived. For our part, we must be attentive to the manner in which we dance here in this life, that when the time for our eternal embrace arrives, we are as brave and courageous as N. In the twists and turns of life, we pattern our steps on those of Jesus. Like little children, we rest our feet on top of his and allow our deepest hope that one day we, too, will see God face to face, and he will carry us away. All life is learning how to be swept up in the divine embrace, to follow the divine footing, now imperfect, but one day eternally perfect. N.'s role in the dance of life continues in each one of you. Until that day when we are called home, let us not hug the walls but Christ in each other. Just as those in Fra Angelico's circle dance, like N., let us be fully engaged in the Christian dance of life with the Creator of the dance as our lead. Let us follow the daily lyrics of divine grace that draw our steps ever forward toward that place prepared for us from all eternity: the forecourt of heaven where God's arms envelop us.

Authors Father Andrew Carl Wisdom O.P.

funeral all manner of death Daniel 12:1-3 Psalm 42:2, 3, 5 Romans 6:3-9 John 14:1-6

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Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

18 Nov 2018

SUNDAY SUMMARY Daniel 12:1-3 The time of distress is coming, but the just shall be like the stars forever. Psalm 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11 The path to life and fullness of joy is the inheritance of the faithful. Hebrews 10:11-14, 18 Sin has been forgiven, and no further offering is necessary. Mark 13:24-32 We must learn to interpret the signs of the hour of darkness and of glory.

Daniel 12:1-3 Psalm 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11 Hebrews 10:11-14, 18 Mark 13:24-32

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Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

14 Nov 2021

SUNDAY SUMMARY Daniel 12:1-3 A time is coming with distress for some, justice for others. Psalm 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11 God will not abandon the faithful to the netherworld. Hebrews 10:11-14, 18 Forgiveness of sin makes sacrifice for sin obsolete. Mark 13:24-32 The hour of justice is not known, but the fig tree teaches its lessons to the wise.

Daniel 12:1-3 Psalm 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11 Hebrews 10:11-14, 18 Mark 13:24-32

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Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

17 Nov 2024

SUNDAY SUMMARY Daniel 12:1-3 The time of great distress will come, but the wise and the just will live to shine forever. Psalm 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11 Salvation means that God will guarantee our safety even in the hour of death. Hebrews 10:11-14, 18 The perfect offering of Jesus is enough for the eternal forgiveness of sin. Mark 13:24-32 Even in the time of darkness, those who follow the words of Jesus will find their way. More resources for the month available in Seasonal notes.

Daniel 12:1-3 Psalm 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11 Hebrews 10:11-14, 18 Mark 13:24-32

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