33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time [B]

 


33RD SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME [B]


For the most part, we are looking ahead. Our prophecy from Daniel pertains to the end of the age, a time when apocalyptic events will be taking place (Dan. 12:1-3). We hear Jesus echoing this theme as the disciples gather around him at the Mount of Olives (Mark 13:24-32). And yet, even as these readings direct us to the future, we will find that our second reading creates the opposite effect by taking us backwards in time. We get to relive a period when sacrifices were being offered within the Jerusalem temple—offered on a recurring basis (see Hebrews 10:11-18). This was how you would make atonement for your sins. You would arrange for the necessary sacrifice, you would give thanks, and then you would go on your way. 


However, you don’t want to wander too far away. Eventually you will have to prepare for your return trip. The merit contained within the previous sacrifice will only carry you so far. It has an estimated shelf-life. It benefits you, but only for a limited amount of time. At some point, you will be heading back to the temple. New sacrifices will have to be obtained. Each new sacrifice provides a fresh dosage of merit. It’s a process that parallels a trip to the store. Your flashlight isn’t working, so it occurs to you that it might be time to replace the batteries. You head off to the store, and you decide to purchase the “Energizer” brand because these are the batteries that keep going and going—at least according to the sales pitch. They present you with a bunny that continues to go and go. And that’s what you want for your flashlight. 


Of course, the commercial only tells half of the story. Yes, it’s a high quality battery. Yes, it will go and go—but not indefinitely. The day will come when the battery uses up its charge. It will become depleted and have to be replaced. This means another trip to the store. Or, if you are a New Testament era Jew, it will mean another trip to the temple. Another sacrifice will have to be offered. In other words, each temple sacrifice can be likened to a battery. It will accommodate you…up until it reaches its time of expiration. Therefore, these temple sacrifices have to be carried out on a recurring basis. 


According to Hebrews chapter ten, a New Covenant has now been established. There will no longer be any need for these repeated sacrifices. The sacrifice we depend upon is the sacrifice of Jesus on the hill of Calvary. We are talking here about a once and for all sacrifice. In terms of merit, it’s a sacrifice that keeps on going and going. It endures. You don’t have to arrange for any more sacrifices. You don’t have to revisit the Jerusalem temple. All in all, it sounds rather appealing. 


Still, as beneficiaries of the New Covenant, we continue to revisit our parish church on a recurring basis. Why would this be necessary? The sacrifice to end all sacrifices has been completed. The merits contained within this sacrifice can never be exhausted. This being the case, why should there be any requirement for attending Mass? It’s because the need for atonement can be described as an ongoing need. The Lord understands that we have this ongoing need for the gift of atonement. Therefore he establishes a ritualized prayer involving bread and wine—on the night before his sacrificial death will take place. He could have instituted the Mass earlier on in his ministry. However, it’s his deliberate choice to wait until the night before his Passion. It adds up to an inescapable message: What happens in the upper room has everything to do with what happens on the hill of Calvary. 


It’s one sacrifice, as noted in the Hebrews passage. We need to appreciate that it’s a sacrifice being perpetuated through each subsequent generation (see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, sections 1362-1367). “Perpetual” means that it keeps going and going. We experience the merits of this sacrifice every time we gather before the altar, entering into the spirit of the Mass. It’s a recurring process, due to the fact that we take the words of the Lord very seriously: I want you to do this in memory of me (Luke 22:19). 

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