33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time – B
November 17, 2024
Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton
An Experience of Dying
Several years ago, I read an article about a woman named Jane who tells about her experience of dying.
Jane had a serious heart attack. She states that she experienced her spirit rising out of her body and passing upward.
Eventually, Jane stood before what she describes as a Being of Pure Light. She heard this Being of Pure Light telling her that it was not yet her time.
Jane had to return to earth, and she did just that. She states that this experience has transformed her.
She now has no fear of death. Her faith in the Almighty God is unshakeable.
The End Times
As we listen to Jane’s experience, we might ask: what will our end or end time be like?
The Scripture readings today portray the end times with graphic and even scary imagery. The prophet Daniel in the first reading says, “That time… shall be a time unsurpassed in distress.”
In the gospel, Jesus says, “In those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky.” These were standard images thousands of years ago.
Today, most Scripture experts say that these images are not to be taken literally. Instead, they are intended to be more symbolic.
But still, underneath them, there lies a message. I think the main message is two words: Look ahead.
Look Ahead
Whether or not we think about dying, our life on earth will someday pass away.
Jesus today uses a seasonal image when he says, “When the branches of the fig tree sprout leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things, know that [the Lord] is near.”
Jesus’ idea is that even the natural seasons of the year are a good reminder. This season, the fall, reminds us that winter is coming – a time of dying and letting go in the world of nature.
Jesus’ point is that this world is not our lasting home. When we stand before the Lord, our credit cards, clothes, and cars will not matter.
What will matter are the eternal things we have accumulated – the faith in the core of our being and the love in the depths of our heart. So, the scary images of these readings remind us to look ahead with a long-term vision of life.
Ignatius of Loyola
Saint Ignatius of Loyola who lived in the 1500s taught us something about how to look ahead.
One of the things Ignatius is most known for is his teaching about discernment. Now, discernment is trying to prayerfully decide what I should do or what God wants me to do right now.
Discernment means that we try to make a decision with God’s help. When these decisions are important but unclear, Ignatius proposes this method.
He advises that we look ahead to the moment of our dying. Look ahead to the moment when we will meet God face to face.
And then ask ourselves: what do I think I will want at that moment to have decided on this issue today? The issue might be something like forgiving or asking for forgiveness about some big hurt.
Or it could be a decision about the direction of our life – maybe about a marriage or relocating our family. When it just isn’t clear and we cannot decide, look ahead and take the long-range perspective.
At the moment when I will die and meet the Lord, what will I wish I had done right now? Ignatius’ teaching has been tested by time as valuable for making good, holy decisions in the present.
Conclusion
Looking ahead in this way will help us to become the kind of person God calls us to be.
It will help us to do the kind of things that Jesus calls us to do. It will help us, to use the words of today’s gospel, to be ready because we
“do not know the day or the hour.”
