33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Dan 12:1-3
Heb 10:11-14,18
Mk 13:24-32
“When that time comes…”
Brothers and sisters, the end is near! As we approach the close of our liturgical year, with just two weeks remaining, we are invited to reflect and prepare for the coming season of Advent on December 1st — the start of a new liturgical journey.
Our Sunday Mass readings follow a comforting three-year cycle — Years A, B, and C — that repeats in a familiar rhythm. When this year (Year B) ends, Year C will naturally begin, much like the transition from New Year’s Eve to New Year’s Day. With a few exceptions, like the turn of the millennium when doomsday fears surfaced, we trust time to move predictably, like clockwork. Days, weeks, months and years flow in a rhythm that feels natural, as if they’ll always keep coming. And so, sometimes, it’s easy to be complacent and take the time we have for granted.
This year, I felt time passing especially quickly. It’s been six months since I left my full-time job, yet my ‘to-do’ list — filled with things I promised myself I would get to once I had more free time — has barely shrunk. In fact, it may even have grown longer. Where has all the time gone? And even more importantly, how have I been spending it?
At first, I held to a daily schedule as structured as my working life had been, determined not to waste a single moment. I wanted to live with purpose, aware that our time on earth is both finite and fleeting. The brevity of life was made painfully clear to me this year with the passing of several people I knew, including two friends close to my age. Despite my determination, though, somewhere along the way — perhaps due to procrastination, sloth, or misplaced priorities — time simply slipped by. Six months vanished in the blink of an eye.
Today’s readings remind us that the Day of the Lord is coming. In the first reading, we’re shown a vision of the end, where the resurrection of the dead will bring those who lived their life in virtue to everlasting life, while others will experience shame and disgrace. The Gospel adds that, on that day, the Son of Man will send his angels to gather the chosen from the four winds, uniting the faithful from all corners of creation.
How do we prepare so that we will be among the chosen? What does it mean to live our lives in virtue? Jesus has already given us the answer in his commandments: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. And you shall love your neighbour as yourself.” (Mark 12:30-31)
Brothers and sisters, the Day of the Lord will come, even though we don’t know the exact day or hour. But here’s what we do know — God has blessed us with time to prepare. How are we truly using this precious gift? Each day, how much time do we devote to loving God and loving our neighbour? Are we honouring His commandments, living with purpose, and preparing our hearts for ‘when that time comes’?
(Today’s OXYGEN by Esther Leet)
Prayer: Lord Jesus, grant us the wisdom to use each moment of the time you have blessed us with in ways that are pleasing to you. Help us, Lord, to grow in virtue and to prepare our minds and hearts for your coming. May we live each day with purpose, guided by your love. Amen.
Thanksgiving: Thank you, Lord, for teaching us the way to prepare our hearts for your coming. May we always walk in your light. Amen.
OXYGEN 
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