Being God's Witnesses

Reflection on Today's Readings, Saturday, 33rd Week in Ordinary Time Year II, and the Memorial of Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, November 21st, 2020

Texts: Rev. 11:4-12; Ps. 144:1.2.9.10; Luke 20:27-40

Today is the memorial of the presentation of Blessed Virgin Mary. Short note on the celebration in the Daily Missal reads: "A story of the presentation of Mary  appears in one of the apocryphal gospels. Today's celebration honours not so much an event in the life of Mary, as the gratuitous action of God's plan." The note in the Divine Office adds another meaning thus: "On this day, which was the dedication in the year 543 of the Church of Our Lady near to the Temple in Jerusalem, together with the Christians in Eastern rites we celebrate that dedication of herself which Mary made to God from her very childhood under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit who filled her with grace at her Immaculate Conception." Today we thank God for the gift of Mary to mankind and also appreciate the action of the Holy Spirit in her life. This also reminds us that we are all gifts of God to one another. Hence, we should appreciate one another. We are also called to listen to the Holy Spirit and always be yielding to his inspiration.

Today's Readings remind us of who we are and our hope. We are the witnesses of God on earth and we hope for resurrection on the last day. In the images of olive tree and lamp stand, St. John shows who we are as God's witnesses. As the olive-tree is ever green, so also our witnessing shall be full of life, potent and fruitful; as the olive is a sign of peace, and its oil symbolizes grace, so our witnessing shall bestow grace and peace on the world. We are also called olive-trees, because we are to sustain the light of the world as olive tree supplies oil to lamp stand.

We are also lamp stands, that is, we are the light of the world; we are to disperse ignorance wherever we find ourselves.  As light of the world, we are to teach and instruct the ignorant; we are to live exemplary life for the world to follow. We are to show the way and lead in the way.

We are not just olive trees and lamp stands, but olive trees and lamp stands which stand before the Lord of the earth. We stand before the Lord of the earth because we are to witness to the whole world. Here, the standing before the Lord means faithfulness to God. We are to be faithful to God or else we become sterile. We are to keep God's words; we are to do his will, not our own will, in any circumstances; we must be ready to accept his lot for us.

Our faithfulness in service shall win us life. Though we may suffer and be killed, we will raise on the last day. Hence, the reading says, "But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, 'Come up here?' And in the sight of their foes they went up to heaven in a cloud."

Today's gospel reading takes further the truth of resurrection. Jesus Christ affirms the truth of resurrection and also corrects the wrong understanding of resurrection. Resurrection is not a resuscitation, that is, coming back to the same life. Resurrection affords us angelic life. Jesus Christ says, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage; but those who are counted worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, for they cannot die any more, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection." We are reminded today that our foes will not be able to touch us we finish what God has sent us to do. God will always be present to defend us against our foes; he will not allow any harm to touch us; he will not let our foes have the final say. At resurrection our foes will receive the final blow.

Lord God, make us faithful witnesses to your goodness and greatness that we may partake of resurrection on the last day. Amen.

Rev. Fr. Andrew Olowomuke