Malachi 3:19-20a; 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12; Luke 21:5-19

Brothers and Sisters, as we draw near to the end of the Church’s liturgical year, the readings take on a kind of holy seriousness. They sound a bit like the final exam before graduation, sobering, but also hopeful. Jesus speaks of earthquakes, wars, and persecutions. This is not exactly the stuff of cheerful dinner conversation! But before we panic, let us remember: Jesus is not trying to frighten us. He is preparing us.

In the Gospel, people are admiring the beauty of the Temple, its stones, gold, and grandeur. Jesus interrupts their admiration with a shocking prophecy: “All these things you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another.” The people must have gasped! Yet, what Jesus is saying is timeless: all that glitters fades. Our temples of wealth, success, and comfort will not last forever. What does last is faithfulness.

The prophet Malachi gives us that hope: for those who fear the Lord, “the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings.” In other words, the end is not destruction for believers, it is transformation. The apparent end is really God’s new beginning.

St. Paul, in the second reading, brings this heavenly vision down to daily life. He urges the Thessalonians not to sit idly, staring at the sky, waiting for the end, but to keep working faithfully. Holiness is not about hiding from the world; it is about bringing light into the world through our honest labor of love, our care for others, and our trust in God’s timing.

So, if the end of the world came tomorrow, would you keep living your faith today? Would you still pray, love, forgive, and cook dinner for your family? (Hopefully yes and maybe make dessert too!) That is how Christians face the “end times”: not with fear, but with faith-filled normalcy, because we know the story ends in victory.

Brothers and sisters, every Holy Eucharist reminds us: the Lord is coming, and He is already here. So, let us live each day not in anxiety, but in radiant readiness, with hearts awake, hands busy, and eyes fixed on the Sun of Righteousness who rises to heal and to save us.

Your Priest,

Father Charles Enyinnia