Father Leo Hausmann
Homily from the Televised Mass, NewsCenter1
The 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, November 17, 2024

The first Sunday of Advent and the beginning of the liturgical year is only two weeks away. As we are closing out the current liturgical year, the Church uses the Sacred Scriptures to call our attention to an important reality — sometimes referred to as the four last things. These four last things are the end of the world and the return of Christ, our personal death depending on where we are in relation to human history, judgment, Heaven or hell. 

These four last things aren’t something we generally like to think about and anticipate, such as we anticipate Thanksgiving or Christmas. In fact, we probably generally avoid thinking of them as much as we can. But it’s not good for us to completely ignore the reality of what each of us will inevitably face. Like they say, none of us are going to make it out of this world alive.

The first reading we heard was taken from the book of the Prophet Daniel. It spoke of the end of time and the arising of the great prince, guardian of God’s people, that is St. Michael the Archangel. The reading said, “it shall be a time unsurpassed in distress.” 

That sounds distressing just to hear it! And in the Gospel, Jesus says that after “those days of tribulation the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky.” That sounds even more frightening!

Is God trying to scare us? Probably not, unless we need a scare to veer us off the path of personal destruction. Yes, every one of us will die or see the end of the world and the return of Jesus. But if we are on the right side of good and evil, and we have a friendship with Jesus through a faithful relationship with his Church, then we don’t have to fear death and judgment, or even the awesome events of the end of the world. We will be seated firmly and safely in the hands of God.

So, let us look at the readings again, this time not focused on the scary words. In the reading from the book of Daniel, it says there shall arise “Michael, the great prince, guardian of your people.” We will have St. Michael the Archangel, the great prince, guarding us, keeping us safe and secure during the final battle between good and evil. And in the end, the good and the faithful will shine like the stars forever! But we won’t be stars. We will be the saints in eternity. What a great destiny God has in mind for us if we choose the path of the saints.

Likewise, in the Gospel, Jesus says that at the end of the world he will come with “great power and glory, and then send out the angels and gather his elect.” If we have known Jesus as our friend and chosen him as our Lord and Savior, seeing him will be the most awesome and comforting thing imaginable. Seeing him will eliminate all fear and anxiety. 

Just to further the point, let us look at the analogy Jesus uses in the Gospel reading. He says, “Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things happening, know that he is near.” 

Jesus uses the image of spring and new life as an analogy to his return. It is a positive and hopeful image.

Our God is a true Father, who holds us firmly in his love and comforts our fears. On the other hand, He doesn’t hide the realities of life from us either. He wants us to know the full reality of our choices, so that if we are on the road to personal destruction, we see the scary consequences of that path, so hopefully we will make a U-turn to change course and get onto the path to eternal life. 

When we choose the path to eternal life there are so many comforts God has placed along the way. These are the Sacred Scriptures, prayer, the Church and the Sacraments. We need all four of these comforts to truly be on the path to eternal life. 

One of the greatest and most important of these comforts is also one of the most neglected in our present time — the Sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession. It is what God has designated as the ordinary means of the forgiveness of sins, particularly, the deadly sins, also known as mortal sin. 

Sin disturbs our peace because it disturbs our conscience. Confession is one of the greatest comforts God has given us because the forgiveness of our sins restores our peace as we return firmly to the path of eternal life. 

If you have been away from that sacrament for a while, or even for a long, long time, now is the time to return and not put it off. For as Jesus says, “But the day or hour, no one knows.” 

If it has been a long time since going to Confession, it can be scary to go back. But know this, the hardest part is just walking through the door of the confessional. After that, the Father of Mercies will hold you gently in his arms as he restores you to grace and gives you his peace.