By Father Paul Nord, O.S.B.
Sunday Scripture
First Reading: Daniel 12:1-3; Response: Psalm 16:5, 8-11; Second Reading: Hebrews 10:11-14, 18; Gospel: Mark 13:24-32
These verses are from the final prophetic vision of Daniel — chapters 10 to 12. This vision reveals to Daniel “what shall happen to your people in the last days” (Daniel 10:14). Daniel 11 describes how the Jewish people would be ruled first by the Persian Empire, and later by the Greek kingdoms that resulted from the military conquests of Alexander the Great. Daniel 11:21-45 seems to describe the rule of Antiochus IV Epiphanes — a Greek Seleucid ruler who provoked a Jewish revolt when he attempted to suppress Jewish religious practice. Concerning this king, this section promises: “he shall come to his end with none to help him” (Daniel 11:45).
Today’s reading immediately follows. These verses (Daniel 12:1-3) promise that God’s judgment will come upon this oppressive king. The archangel Michael is identified as the agent of this judgment. Michael is described as the “guardian of your people,” who shall arise in a time of great distress. Those who are righteous “shall escape.” The names of the righteous are “written in the book.” This “book” contains the deeds of all mankind — recorded and known by God, who is just and all-knowing. Thus the righteous can trust that they will be rewarded for their good deeds.
This passage states: “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake; some shall live forever.” But the unrighteous dead receive condemnation: “others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace.” The righteous dead described here are those Jews who died under the violent oppression of this Greek ruler. The unrighteous are likely those Jews who chose submission to the Greek ruler instead of loyalty to their faith in the Lord God.
The Maccabean (Jewish) Revolt against Antiochus IV Epiphanes occurred about 165 years before Jesus’ birth. Most commentaries suggest that Daniel was composed at that time. When this revolt succeeded, they rededicated the Jerusalem Temple. The yearly feast of Hanukkah honors this event.
This passage from Daniel 12 is remarkable because it affirms that the righteous dead “shall live forever.” At that time, some Jews believed in the resurrection of the dead, but other Jews did not. This debate continued in Jesus’ time. This text says the righteous dead will be like shining stars. “The wise shall shine brightly.” God’s righteous people will gloriously shine at the resurrection of the dead.
Our second reading emphasizes that Jesus has “offered one sacrifice for sins.” He has atoned for all human sin by his crucifixion. Jesus’ sacrifice is contrasted with the priests of the Jerusalem temple who offered sacrifices day after day. These sacrifices are described as unable to take away sins — in contrast with Jesus’ sacrifice of complete atonement. His sacrifice remains effective for all time.
After this, Jesus “took his seat forever at the right hand of God.” This is imagery of kingship. Jesus the Christ comes to rule over new heavens and a new earth — the kingdom of God. Through his priestly sacrifice, Jesus has conquered sin and death, so now he reigns as king over redeemed humanity and all creation. Jesus the Messiah is priest, prophet and king (see Catechism No. 436).
The imagery here is a reference to Psalm 110:1: “The LORD says to my lord: "Sit at my right hand, while I make your enemies your footstool.” By his cross, Christ has defeated the “enemies” of sin and death. But “now he waits until his enemies are made his footstool.” Despite Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, currently sin and death remain in our world. Sin and death will be completely destroyed when Christ comes again. At the end of time, they will be “made his footstool.”
By means of this one offering, Christ “has made perfect forever those who are being consecrated.” That is, we who have been baptized into Christ have been “consecrated” — made holy — such that the Holy Spirit dwells within us. This meaning is explained by the following verse: “The Holy Spirit also testifies to us, saying: ‘This is the covenant I will establish with them after those days,’ says the Lord: ‘I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them upon their minds’” (Hebrews 10:15-16).
Today’s Gospel shortly precedes Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion. Jesus speaks of “tribulation” and the destruction of the sun, moon, stars and powers of the heavens. In this way, Jesus is foretelling the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple — which happened in 70 A.D. — about four decades after Jesus’ crucifixion.
But next Jesus says: “And then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in the clouds’ with great power and glory.” Jesus is invoking the imagery of Daniel 7:13-14: “As the visions during the night continued, I saw coming with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man. When he reached the Ancient of Days … He received dominion, splendor and kingship.” At the time of Jesus, this prophecy of Daniel was understood as foretelling the coming of the Messiah and the arrival of the kingdom of God.
The prophecy of Daniel 7 emphasizes that God will judge humanity — rewarding the holy ones, but also condemning those who commit sin and violence. So Jesus says that the Son of Man “will send out the angels” (Mark 13:27) — God’s messengers. These angels will “gather his elect (holy ones)… from the end of the earth” to protect them from the coming destruction.
Jesus says that his disciples should recognize the signs of “these things happening” — that the Son of Man “is near, at the gates.” Jesus says that they should be able to recognize these signs of God’s action — as easily as they recognize that summer is near when they see the sprouting of a fig tree. Jesus warns his disciples to prepare for the final judgment. Jesus is speaking of his second coming — the parousia — in which Christ will come again to judge heaven and earth — and all humanity. At that time, “heaven and earth will pass away.” But Christ’s words — his promises — “will not pass away.”