THIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

 

READINGS AT MASS 

Malachi 3:19-20

Psalm 98

2 Thess. 3:7-12

Luke 21:5-19

Theme: THE FATE OF WORLDLY BEAUTY 

Dear friends in Christ, N'wokafu YESU KRISTO...

The liturgical year is coming to an end, and as usual, the readings these days remind us of the finality of all things, including life itself.

Our Gospel reading this morning describes the scene of our Lord Jesus Christ and His disciples before the majestic Temple in Jerusalem. According to well-known historians, the Temple was a sight to behold. Its architectural design and decorations were awe-inspiring. It is no wonder the disciples were captivated by it.

Interestingly, however, the disciples and Jesus viewed the Temple differently. While the disciples admired its physical beauty, Jesus was contemplating its inevitable destruction and the end of its grandeur. Jesus foresaw the end of the magnificent edifice. Are we also able to see the end, or are we distracted by the temporary splendor of this world?

Beloved, everything we see around us will eventually come to an end. The perfection we often pride ourselves in will fade away. The end of all the beautiful structures we have built and which adorn our lives is unavoidable.

The revelation Jesus shares in this Gospel passage shows the reality of our lives. We are easily mesmerized by the temporary beauty of this fleeting life, often forgetting that it is destined to end. 

PRAYER

Lord, do not allow me to be preoccupied with the splendor of this temporary world and forget about its inevitable end. Amen.

May God bless you.

Fr. Kenneth Debre 

Sunday, November 16, 2025.

St. Peter Parish, Vakpo.

Sunday Gospel Reflection: Courage And Strength

 

“Before all this happens, however, they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony. Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.” Luke 21:12–15

It could be said that these are among the least consoling words that Jesus ever spoke. Imagine what His disciples would have thought upon hearing this. Some of them might have changed their minds about following Jesus and walked away. Why would anyone want to be seized and persecuted, or thrown into prison? Jesus even went on to say that “they will put some of you to death.”

Though these words might not, at first, seem all that consoling, they were inspired words and, therefore, must be inspiring. By analogy, imagine an army general in charge of troops defending their families and homeland from hostile invaders. If that general were to say similar words to the troops, acknowledging that some of them would be captured and even killed, it would be a reality check for sure. But it would also inspire a certain courage and drive. In that moment, the soldiers would need courage to face the challenge that awaited them. Therefore, by being honest with them, the general would stir up their courage and strengthen their resolve to enter the battle.

We must hear Jesus’ words today as His battle cry, spoken to encourage us. He is warning us that the secular and unchristian world will be hostile. The leader of the kingdom of darkness, the devil, is very active and, with his legion of demons and followers, is seeking to destroy us. For our part, we must decide whether we will retreat and hide, or enter the battle for the salvation of souls.

Though most of us will not endure physical martyrdom for our faith, it will happen to some. But for most of us, the persecution we will endure will be on a different level. We may be mocked or even hated for our refusal to accept immorality within the culture. We may be called hateful when we stand up for the dignity of the unborn child in danger of abortion. We may be deemed superstitious or old fashioned by remaining faithful to Sunday worship and daily prayer. And we may be thought of as out-of-touch or behind the times for refusing to embrace the latest popular fads and secular values. Sometimes this happens even within the family.

Instead of shying away from the various forms of persecution we may experience, we need to allow our Lord to stir up a courage within us that is fueled by love. We must deeply desire the salvation of every soul and remain certain that the only way to salvation is through fidelity to Christ.

When you are challenged by others or by the world, you must trust in Jesus’ words. “I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.” When we resist and refute the errors of our age, some people will become hostile. But if we remain faithful to our Lord and speak by His inspiration, then those who are hostile will be affected for the good. Because Jesus said that people will not be able to “resist or refute” the words He inspires us to say, we must know that our words can make a difference in the battle for souls. We must engage the battle with courage and love and rely upon our Lord to lead.

Reflect, today, upon the fact that we are all in a battle for the salvation of souls, beginning with our own. We cannot be passive bystanders. We must move forward with much courage and strength. We must trust in the guidance given to us by our Lord. We must be open to the words He will inspire us to speak when needed. Resolve to follow our Lord into this holy battle, and He will equip you with all you need to be victorious.

My courageous Lord, You endured much suffering in life and embraced it with pure love. Please give me the grace I need to follow You wherever You lead and to be an instrument of Your voice to a world in need. Jesus, I trust in You.

Sunday Gospel Reflection: Being Shocked By Our Lord

 

Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his Body. John 2:19–21

We celebrate, today, the Lateran Basilica in Rome, the mother church of the entire Roman Catholic Church. It was given to the Bishop of Rome in the fourth century and remained the pope’s primary residence until the building of St. Peter’s Basilica, at a time when the Lateran Basilica was falling into ruins. However, the Lateran Basilica to this day remains the most important Church in the world, since it is officially the Cathedral Church of Rome.

As we honor this church, we honor more than a building. The Lateran Basilica is a symbol of the one true Church of Jesus Christ. Its interior is beautiful and awe-inspiring so as to point us to the unimaginable beauty of the Church Herself, which is the Mystical Body of Christ.

Today’s Gospel depicts Jesus entering the Temple and driving the money changers out with a whip and the animals they were selling for profit. As He did so, He cried out, “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.” Psalm 69 is then quoted: Zeal for your house will consume me.

Jesus loves His Church as His own Body - because that is what it is. As His Body, the members of His Church are called and sent to act as His instruments, members of His saving action. Much more than a church building, today we honor the Church Herself - which means we honor you, insofar as you are a member of the Body of Christ. And in light of this Gospel passage for today’s Feast, we are reminded of the zeal that our Lord has for the cleansing of His Church.

How is the Church purified? It is purified by the cleansing of Her members. That means that Jesus desires, with perfect zeal, to drive out every sin from your soul, cleansing the filth that keeps you from fulfilling your essential role as a member of His Body.

Sometimes we become slack in our own commitment to be purified. We can easily become comfortable with the sins we commit, and we can form habits that are hard to break. When this happens, it is useful to ponder this story of the cleansing of the Temple and see it as Jesus’ desire to cleanse our own soul. At times, we need to be shaken up, challenged, confronted and encouraged with the unwavering zeal in the heart of our Lord.

Reflect, today, upon this powerful image of Jesus cleansing the Temple. As you do, apply it to your own life. The people selling and buying in the Temple must have been shocked at Jesus’ zeal and actions. If you have become complacent with your sins, try to allow this holy shock to also wake you up. Allow our Lord’s zeal to affect you, and know that His purifying actions are acts of love by which He desires to free you to become a more fully functioning member of His holy Church.

My zealous Lord, Your heart burns with a deep desire to cleanse me and all Your children from sin. Your zeal reveals Your deep love and Your willingness to do all that You can to make me a fuller member of Your Body, the Church. Open my mind and will, dear Lord, to all that You wish to say to me and give me the grace to respond to Your purifying action in my life. Jesus, I trust in You.

Sunday Gospel Reflection: Commemorating All Souls

“For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.” John 6:40

Yesterday’s Solemnity of All Saints gave us an opportunity to celebrate and rejoice in the fact that there are countless people who have gone before us who are now enjoying the glories of Heaven. These faithful souls lived lives that were grounded in God’s grace and have been fully purified of all sin. They now gaze at our good God face-to-face.

Today, we commemorate the fact that many who die in a state of grace are not immediately ready to stand before the glorious throne of God and see Him face-to-face. The only way this is possible is if every sin and every attachment to sin is purged from our souls. We must have nothing but pure charity alive within us if we are to enter the eternal glories of Heaven. But how many people die in such a state?

The Church, in her wisdom and holiness, has taught clearly through the centuries that when a person passes from this world to the next while still attached to less serious sin, they need to be fully purified in order to enter Heaven. This is Purgatory. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned” (#1030–31a).

For some, Purgatory can be a frightening and even confusing thought. Why doesn’t God, in His infinite mercy, simply take all our loved ones who followed Him straight to Heaven? The answer is simple. He does! And the path for them to Heaven is this incredible mercy of their final purification.

Purification of all attachment to sin within our soul is a mercy beyond what we can imagine. Through this final purification, God prepares the holy souls who have died for an eternity of joy. But this purification is necessary because God, in His love, does not want any soul to live eternally with even a minor attachment to sin. God wants us all free. The truth is that every sin on our soul, even the smallest one, is reason enough for us to be excluded from Heaven. So Purgatory must be seen as a final mercy from God by which He lifts every last burden that keeps us from perfect love, so that our eternity will be one of utmost freedom and ecstasy. God wants us to be filled only with the purity of love forever. Thus, upon our death, we are graced to enter into a final and intense purification of every minor sin, so that when we see God in all His glory, we will see Him with the perfection to which we are called. Purgatory is a gift, a grace, a mercy. It will be painful to go through in the same way that overcoming any sin is painful. But the good fruit of freedom from sin makes every final purification we must endure worth it a hundredfold and more.

Reflect, today, upon the spiritual truth that God wants you to be a saint. If you are among those few who die in a state in which you are purified from every sin, then be assured that you have already completed your purgatory on earth. But if you or your loved ones are among the many who still hold some minor attachment to sin at the time of death, then rejoice that God is not done with you yet. Anticipate with much gratitude the final purification that awaits and look forward to the freedom that ultimately comes from that purification.

My merciful Lord, You desire that my soul and the souls of all your faithful be purified of every sin, even the smallest imperfection. I thank You for the mercy of Purgatory and pray that I will continually work toward that purification here and now. I pray, also, for all those who have gone before me and are still in need of these purifying fires. Pour forth Your mercy upon them so that they may be counted among the saints in Heaven. Jesus, I trust in You.