33 sunday- B

33rd Sunday-B 

Good evening/morning everyone, two weeks ago, we had that wonderful old-time gospel choir that was wonderful. And a non-Catholic came to the event and looking at the holy water in the front, he made a joke saying, “oh I didn’t know that you have a bowl of water at the entrance to wash hands and then he said, ‘where is the soap?’ I was equally laughing and said, you are looking for soap, ask your wife. Then she came in, looking at me said, “Father, you have a beautiful smile and I said, ‘don’t tell your husband, he might be jealous’.  

Then I said at the gospel choir a non-Catholic joke. Once what happened was, a minister saw one of his parishioners was so upset and sad and after service, he looked at her and said, “Sheila, what happened to you and how come you look so sad?’ She said, “Last night my husband died’. What your husband died. I am so sorry to hear that. What were his last words?’ Sheila looked at the minister and said, “he looked at me and said, “Sheila, for heaven sake, put that gun down”. 

Friends in Christ Jesus, where there is Christ, there are love and kindness and where there is Christ, there are only acceptance and forgiveness. Yes, where there is Christ, there are justice and peace. 

As we reflect on the four gospels, we know how they talk about the birth, life and miracles, wonders of Christ and then His suffering, crucifixion and death and then His glorious resurrection and then when we read the 14 letters of St. Paul, first he talks about the resurrection, death, crucifixion, suffering and then His miracles and wonders. Thus, the gospels and Paul meet at one place, mostly it is at the Good Shepherd place where we meet with Christ the good shepherd who longs to find the one sheep that was lost. He is going after that one sheep that was lost and after finding that sheep, He celebrates uncontrollably. 

That same Jesus, the compassionate, kind, loving and forgiving is coming again. This time, He comes with more compassion, with more kindness and with more love and with more forgiveness.  

Yes, the Son of Man is coming to not to punish His followers who believe in Him, coming to church, receiving churches' sacraments and above all else putting their faith into practice. 

Once Simon Peter said to Jesus, “Oh Jesus, we have left everything for you” and Jesus said, “You who have left everything will receive hundred-fold in the kingdom to come”. So, you will be highly blessed on that day.  

Once Christ our Lord said, ‘The day will catch you unexpectedly. If the owner of the house had known at what time the thief was coming, he would not let his house be broken into...” The day of the Lord would also be like this. But today, Jesus our Lord gives us more hope to interpret the cosmic events. As we look around what is going on, we should be awake and be ready, because the one who was taken up, is coming down. 

That is the most joyous day of our life. It’s because we come to Church longing to see Him and we receive churches’ sacraments longing to find Him and we put our faith hoping to see Him in our brothers and sisters and He is coming soon. Once I went to a ministerial meeting where all the other churches ministers were very busy of talking about the rapture. The Lord Jesus is coming, and He will take the good people with Him and the bad people will be left behind. The Pentecostal minister said, “we will be taken up to heaven”. And everybody was clapping hands for him and then the other ministers were all saying the same thing, they were all clapping hands and then they look at me saying, “What about Catholics, will they be taken up to heaven. Will they go with Jesus?” 

And I looked at them all and with my so-called cool voice said, “By the way, we are the ones who make the rapture...”