Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year C (2025)
Sunday, November 16, 2025
We’re coming to the end of the 2024-2025 liturgical year. Next Sunday, we celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, the final Sunday of Ordinary Time. On the following Sunday, November 30, Advent begins. As we approach the end of the liturgical year, the Church presents to us Readings that give us signs of the end of time and prepare the faithful for coming persecutions. In today’s Gospel, Jesus says, “See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’ Do not follow them!” — Luke 21:8. This past Monday, the Gospel Reading recalled the words of Jesus, “Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the person through whom they occur. It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. Be on your guard!” — Luke 17:1-3.
For over twenty years, I worked a block away from the American headquarters of Sun Myung Moon’s Unification Church, and I would often pass by its building. Moon, now deceased, claimed to be the Messiah chosen by Jesus Christ to “complete Christ’s unfinished mission on earth”. The Unification Church has a presence in about 100 countries and has claimed as many as three million members worldwide. Other examples abound, underscoring the relevance of Jesus’ message. Consider the tragic Jonestown cult, the Peoples Temple of the Disciples of Christ, less than 50 years ago, where Jim Jones, a self-proclaimed prophet, drew thousands with promises of salvation, only to lead over 900 to mass suicide under the guise of divine command. Jones invoked the apocalyptic urgency of Luke 21:8, “the time has come.” Throughout history, many others have claimed to be Jesus Christ or the Messiah. In fact, Wikipedia lists 54 individuals, with numerous followers, who have notoriously made the claim over the past 350 years.
Many false prophets fail to capture the minds and hearts of followers in any considerable numbers, but some manage to do so. The prophet Malachi in today’s Old Testament Reading provides assurances of their fate, “For the day is coming, blazing like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble.” — Malachi 3:19. The Readings invite us to contemplate the ultimate destiny of creation as Jesus foretells the fall of the temple, wars, and persecutions, yet promises wisdom and endurance to those who stand firm. He assures us that, “not a hair on your head will be destroyed.” — Luke 17:8. In our world, fractured by wars, uncertainties, and a myriad of challenges, we are reminded of the call from Jesus to remain steadfast and vigilant in our faith. We are encouraged to look beyond the turmoil that surrounds us and to anchor our hearts in the promise of God’s love and omnipresence with us.
Go in Peace to Love and Serve the Lord.