□ Nguyễn Trung Tây, SVD
The Thirty Third Sunday, Year C: The Final Day, When?
Be honest, did you believe that the end of the earth was on 21 December, 2012?
For those who did not follow the news concerning the final day, relying on the Mayan calendar, which mysteriously ceased at the 21 December, 2012, some speculated that 21/12/12 would be the final day of the world.
This sort of talk reminds me of the celebration of the new millennium in 2000. Back then the world was facing and more or less threatened with the Y2K bug, which according to some people had the potential to throw the world into pandemonium; the bank accounts, for example, would be subject to be miscalculated, the planes equipped with computers would face malfunction and disruption while in the sky. Besides Y2K, some people even believed that the world was counting down to its final day. Jesus Christ, as promised, would be returning at the moment when the earth countdown to zero. Bingo! That’s it. No more! Everything under heaven would return to its original stage: dust and chaos!
To enhance the flavor of the doom's day, some people also came up with the list of many omens that would occur to indicate that the Judgment Day was on its way. For example, the sun would die out, causing darkness over the earth. Only those candles which were blessed would be able to sustain the light. The earth would teem with and be haunted by many devils. Only the holy water would be able to chase them away. I recall the news reporting that many grocery stores, during December, faced running out of flashlights, batteries, candles, tinned food and water supplies.
I was teaching Religion to the Afro-American students at St. Rita Middle School of St. Rita Parish, a church run by the SVDs in Indianapolis, Indiana. As we were approaching the final day of the first millennium, I was bombarded by many students and their parents about whether 31 December, 1999 would be the final day.
And the day eventually arrived. Guess what? Through the global networks, the citizens of the world jubilantly watched the spectacular show of the beautiful fireworks over the Harbor Bridge in Sydney and many other world famous landmarks. I was in St. Louis, Missouri on New Year’s Eve for an SVD Gathering. As I had expected, nothing happened at the moment the world was counting down to zero, except the fireworks that brightened the night sky over St. Louis. After having a glass of champagne to celebrate the new millennium with the other SVDs, I excused myself and retreated to my room for a peaceful and restful night.
The next day, the very first day of the new millennium, the SVD Gathering came to an end. For a practical reason I returned to Indianapolis by means of an American Airline plane. The plane was virtually up and down in the sky for about twenty minutes (which caused me vertigo and nerves), but not because of the Y2K bug, rather some turbulence. Eventually the plane lowered its altitude and gently touched down on the runway of the Indianapolis Airport. The Y2K bug obviously did not do any damage to my plane or any other planes.
Life since the very first moment of the new millennium has continued to be without disruption. New babies are born. Aged people pass away. The world now exceeds over 7 billion inhabitants. And now, as we approach the final day of 2013, “Down Under” is in summer. Alice Springs is very hot and torrid. And again some parishioners recently asked me if the world would face the final curtain on 31 December 2013.
This query again reminds me of the year 2000 and also the question that Jesus’ disciples asked him concerning the final day. According to Mark 13, after the many disputes with Jewish authorities in the Temple, Jesus and his disciples left the Temple for the Mount of Olives. On the way out of the Temple, one of Jesus’ disciples, for an unclear reason, opened his mouth to praise the Temple, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” (13:2). But Jesus told him and subsequently foretold the future of the Temple, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down” (v. 3). As Jesus and his disciples reached the Mount of Olives, the four favorite disciples, Peter, Andrew, James and John quietly approached and asked him: “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?” (v.4). In a rather lengthy discourse, Jesus at first talked about the many omens that would take place before the doom's day of the Temple (which historically took place in 70AD). Gradually Jesus changed the subject from the fateful day of the Temple to the end of the world.
To conclude his speech, Jesus replied to the question of the four disciples by declaring, “But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (v.32).
Interestingly for the reader to discover that Jesus himself admitted that he did not possess the knowledge of the final day of the world. The only one who has the full knowledge of the Judgment Day is God, the Father.
And it was this famous saying from Jesus that I quoted to respond to those in Indianapolis in 1999 and in Alice Springs in 2013 about the end of the world. I said, "No worries! Nobody including Jesus the Son knows the day, but God the Father alone possesses the knowledge of that moment."
However, as we are moving toward the end of 2013, though I am not worried or concerned about the end of the world, I am preparing for myself a thanksgiving spirit since we liturgically come to the end of the liturgical calendar. Very soon, the first Advent candle will be lit to mark the first day of the Liturgical calendar. Likewise, Alice Springs will be lit up with many fireworks when, with all inhabitants of the Northern Territory, we count down to the New Year 2014. Another year is about to be over, another year in which I have received many blessings from heaven. To name a few, I give thanks to God for the OLSH church which has become a good shelter for me to dwell in, to enjoy life, and to practice my priestly vocation. I give thanks to God for the many parishioners, who enable me to sense spiritually and also to appreciate deeply my own religious call. I give thanks to God for bringing me to Alice Springs and Central Australia, a friendly town and a magnificent desert with many convivial people from many different cultures in the world.
And what a coincidence, for today, the 33rd Sunday, in the OLSH Church we celebrate the Cultural Mass to honor the US culture, the culture of blue jeans, Hamburgers, French Fries, Hot Dogs, and above all, the culture of celebrating Thanksgiving in November. Beginning with the first Thanksgiving organized between the Native Americans and the Pilgrims from Europe in Plymouth in 1621, the Americans have continued to mark on their calendar the last Thursday of November: the Thanksgiving day. On this festive and historical day, all people, citizens or non-citizens, get together with the members of their families or friends for the Thanksgiving meal through which they give thanks to God for all the blessings that God has granted unstintingly and lavishly on those people who dwell in the country that is called the United States of America.
As we are counting down to the new year of 2014, let us turn to God and give Him many thanks for all the blessings that we have been abundantly granted from heaven during the year of 2013.
□ Nguyễn Trung Tây, SVD
www.nguyentrungtay.com
The Thirty Third Sunday, Year C: The Final Day, When?
Be honest, did you believe that the end of the earth was on 21 December, 2012?
For those who did not follow the news concerning the final day, relying on the Mayan calendar, which mysteriously ceased at the 21 December, 2012, some speculated that 21/12/12 would be the final day of the world.
This sort of talk reminds me of the celebration of the new millennium in 2000. Back then the world was facing and more or less threatened with the Y2K bug, which according to some people had the potential to throw the world into pandemonium; the bank accounts, for example, would be subject to be miscalculated, the planes equipped with computers would face malfunction and disruption while in the sky. Besides Y2K, some people even believed that the world was counting down to its final day. Jesus Christ, as promised, would be returning at the moment when the earth countdown to zero. Bingo! That’s it. No more! Everything under heaven would return to its original stage: dust and chaos!
To enhance the flavor of the doom's day, some people also came up with the list of many omens that would occur to indicate that the Judgment Day was on its way. For example, the sun would die out, causing darkness over the earth. Only those candles which were blessed would be able to sustain the light. The earth would teem with and be haunted by many devils. Only the holy water would be able to chase them away. I recall the news reporting that many grocery stores, during December, faced running out of flashlights, batteries, candles, tinned food and water supplies.
I was teaching Religion to the Afro-American students at St. Rita Middle School of St. Rita Parish, a church run by the SVDs in Indianapolis, Indiana. As we were approaching the final day of the first millennium, I was bombarded by many students and their parents about whether 31 December, 1999 would be the final day.
And the day eventually arrived. Guess what? Through the global networks, the citizens of the world jubilantly watched the spectacular show of the beautiful fireworks over the Harbor Bridge in Sydney and many other world famous landmarks. I was in St. Louis, Missouri on New Year’s Eve for an SVD Gathering. As I had expected, nothing happened at the moment the world was counting down to zero, except the fireworks that brightened the night sky over St. Louis. After having a glass of champagne to celebrate the new millennium with the other SVDs, I excused myself and retreated to my room for a peaceful and restful night.
The next day, the very first day of the new millennium, the SVD Gathering came to an end. For a practical reason I returned to Indianapolis by means of an American Airline plane. The plane was virtually up and down in the sky for about twenty minutes (which caused me vertigo and nerves), but not because of the Y2K bug, rather some turbulence. Eventually the plane lowered its altitude and gently touched down on the runway of the Indianapolis Airport. The Y2K bug obviously did not do any damage to my plane or any other planes.
Life since the very first moment of the new millennium has continued to be without disruption. New babies are born. Aged people pass away. The world now exceeds over 7 billion inhabitants. And now, as we approach the final day of 2013, “Down Under” is in summer. Alice Springs is very hot and torrid. And again some parishioners recently asked me if the world would face the final curtain on 31 December 2013.
This query again reminds me of the year 2000 and also the question that Jesus’ disciples asked him concerning the final day. According to Mark 13, after the many disputes with Jewish authorities in the Temple, Jesus and his disciples left the Temple for the Mount of Olives. On the way out of the Temple, one of Jesus’ disciples, for an unclear reason, opened his mouth to praise the Temple, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” (13:2). But Jesus told him and subsequently foretold the future of the Temple, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down” (v. 3). As Jesus and his disciples reached the Mount of Olives, the four favorite disciples, Peter, Andrew, James and John quietly approached and asked him: “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?” (v.4). In a rather lengthy discourse, Jesus at first talked about the many omens that would take place before the doom's day of the Temple (which historically took place in 70AD). Gradually Jesus changed the subject from the fateful day of the Temple to the end of the world.
To conclude his speech, Jesus replied to the question of the four disciples by declaring, “But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (v.32).
Interestingly for the reader to discover that Jesus himself admitted that he did not possess the knowledge of the final day of the world. The only one who has the full knowledge of the Judgment Day is God, the Father.
And it was this famous saying from Jesus that I quoted to respond to those in Indianapolis in 1999 and in Alice Springs in 2013 about the end of the world. I said, "No worries! Nobody including Jesus the Son knows the day, but God the Father alone possesses the knowledge of that moment."
However, as we are moving toward the end of 2013, though I am not worried or concerned about the end of the world, I am preparing for myself a thanksgiving spirit since we liturgically come to the end of the liturgical calendar. Very soon, the first Advent candle will be lit to mark the first day of the Liturgical calendar. Likewise, Alice Springs will be lit up with many fireworks when, with all inhabitants of the Northern Territory, we count down to the New Year 2014. Another year is about to be over, another year in which I have received many blessings from heaven. To name a few, I give thanks to God for the OLSH church which has become a good shelter for me to dwell in, to enjoy life, and to practice my priestly vocation. I give thanks to God for the many parishioners, who enable me to sense spiritually and also to appreciate deeply my own religious call. I give thanks to God for bringing me to Alice Springs and Central Australia, a friendly town and a magnificent desert with many convivial people from many different cultures in the world.
And what a coincidence, for today, the 33rd Sunday, in the OLSH Church we celebrate the Cultural Mass to honor the US culture, the culture of blue jeans, Hamburgers, French Fries, Hot Dogs, and above all, the culture of celebrating Thanksgiving in November. Beginning with the first Thanksgiving organized between the Native Americans and the Pilgrims from Europe in Plymouth in 1621, the Americans have continued to mark on their calendar the last Thursday of November: the Thanksgiving day. On this festive and historical day, all people, citizens or non-citizens, get together with the members of their families or friends for the Thanksgiving meal through which they give thanks to God for all the blessings that God has granted unstintingly and lavishly on those people who dwell in the country that is called the United States of America.
As we are counting down to the new year of 2014, let us turn to God and give Him many thanks for all the blessings that we have been abundantly granted from heaven during the year of 2013.
□ Nguyễn Trung Tây, SVD
www.nguyentrungtay.com