Fr. Michael Carlini, SX
Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
This Sunday is the last but one of the Liturgical year, which will end next week. The Readings describe the end of the world, which should gradually be transformed into the Kingdom of God. That glorious day will be anticipated by terrific signs: the scenario of this event is described in a literary form borrowed from biblical revelation: earthquakes, lightning and war, all kinds of diseases. This description cannot and should not be taken literally, because it is "a literary genre” common to all peoples of the Middle East at the time.
Today Jesus would not talk like that, but rather speak about the ecological imbalance of the ecosystem that is bursting, our lifestyle that generates the monstrosity of poverty because it depletes the basic resources of Mother Earth. He would refer to the drama of migration as extraordinary event changing world scenarios, crises that are designed to last a long time. Christ would not need to talk about wars because the whole world is an ongoing war, in an economic system that protects a small minority at the expense of the vast majority of the inhabitants of the planet. He would perhaps speak of ' class struggle ' (the class of the rich elites of the world), implemented by the ideology of capitalism and the global economy.
Build a resilient Sierra Leone
The Gospel ends with the words of Jesus “By your endurance you will gain our lives” (Lk 21:19). The first Christians were shocked to see the destruction of the temple and of Jerusalem by the Roman army. To see all the beautiful stones of the House of God scattered on the ground seemed to them like the end of the world, a catastrophe, the death of hope. Luke reports in his gospel those encouraging words about endurance. Sierra Leone, the land of the free, was once a place for the slave trade; recently the nation went through 11 years of war. As soon as the Country went back to peace, the ebola outbreak came. Notwithstanding that heavy blow, Sierra Leoneans once more decided not to lose hope, but to pull all their energies and to start again. The local Krio proverb reads: “We fodom and grap” (we might fall, but then we stand up again!).
Resilience is adaptation in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or stress : family/relationship problems, health problems or workplace/money issues. Resilience is what gives people the psychological strength to cope with stress and hardship. Endurance is a virtue that comes from the Lord, but it is also achieved through a path of personal or national history that can be painful. When difficulties come our way, we have to make an extra effort to adapt, to adjust. This process requires an extra amount of energy and we have to formulate a mental plan on how to cope with what has changed. When we travel this demanding route, we emerge as better persons. We have contributed to create a resilient Sierra Leone, a stronger world, a Church that is building the Kingdom of God, which is the dream of God: the world as one single family (St. Conforti).
Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
This Sunday is the last but one of the Liturgical year, which will end next week. The Readings describe the end of the world, which should gradually be transformed into the Kingdom of God. That glorious day will be anticipated by terrific signs: the scenario of this event is described in a literary form borrowed from biblical revelation: earthquakes, lightning and war, all kinds of diseases. This description cannot and should not be taken literally, because it is "a literary genre” common to all peoples of the Middle East at the time.
Today Jesus would not talk like that, but rather speak about the ecological imbalance of the ecosystem that is bursting, our lifestyle that generates the monstrosity of poverty because it depletes the basic resources of Mother Earth. He would refer to the drama of migration as extraordinary event changing world scenarios, crises that are designed to last a long time. Christ would not need to talk about wars because the whole world is an ongoing war, in an economic system that protects a small minority at the expense of the vast majority of the inhabitants of the planet. He would perhaps speak of ' class struggle ' (the class of the rich elites of the world), implemented by the ideology of capitalism and the global economy.
Build a resilient Sierra Leone
The Gospel ends with the words of Jesus “By your endurance you will gain our lives” (Lk 21:19). The first Christians were shocked to see the destruction of the temple and of Jerusalem by the Roman army. To see all the beautiful stones of the House of God scattered on the ground seemed to them like the end of the world, a catastrophe, the death of hope. Luke reports in his gospel those encouraging words about endurance. Sierra Leone, the land of the free, was once a place for the slave trade; recently the nation went through 11 years of war. As soon as the Country went back to peace, the ebola outbreak came. Notwithstanding that heavy blow, Sierra Leoneans once more decided not to lose hope, but to pull all their energies and to start again. The local Krio proverb reads: “We fodom and grap” (we might fall, but then we stand up again!).
Resilience is adaptation in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or stress : family/relationship problems, health problems or workplace/money issues. Resilience is what gives people the psychological strength to cope with stress and hardship. Endurance is a virtue that comes from the Lord, but it is also achieved through a path of personal or national history that can be painful. When difficulties come our way, we have to make an extra effort to adapt, to adjust. This process requires an extra amount of energy and we have to formulate a mental plan on how to cope with what has changed. When we travel this demanding route, we emerge as better persons. We have contributed to create a resilient Sierra Leone, a stronger world, a Church that is building the Kingdom of God, which is the dream of God: the world as one single family (St. Conforti).