33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time 2025

A preacher once stood in the pulpit, pounded the side of it for good measure, and shouted, “Repent! The end is near!”

Someone in the pews raised a hand and said, “Father… do you mean the end of the world or the end of the homily?”

Because depending on how long the homily goes… sometimes the two can feel very similar!

We laugh, but the truth is that people really do wonder about the end of time — especially these days. Wars rage across the globe. Our own country feels divided and anxious. Natural disasters, violence, and unrest seem to dominate the headlines. It’s not unusual for someone to ask me, “Father, do you think these are the signs? Do you think the end is coming?”

And today’s readings almost seem to encourage that question. Malachi speaks of a day “blazing like an oven.” Jesus talks about wars, earthquakes, kingdoms falling, persecution. Anyone who hears that could be tempted to panic a little.

But notice what Jesus actually says: “Do not be terrified.”
He doesn’t tell us to predict the future — He tells us to persevere through it.

When the disciples asked, “When will this happen? What will be the sign?” Jesus doesn’t give a date. He gives encouragement. He’s reminding them — and us — that even when the world feels like it’s shaking apart, God has not abandoned His people.

In every generation, people have been convinced they were living in the end times. The early Church thought so. People in the Middle Ages thought so. Our grandparents during the world wars thought so. But through all of it, Christ remained.

And that’s the key: the “end” in Scripture — telos — doesn’t mean destruction. It means fulfillment. God’s plan isn’t about ending creation. It’s about completing it. Bringing everything into His light. Malachi gives us that beautiful promise: “For you who fear my name, the sun of justice will arise with healing rays.” The end for believers isn’t a collapse — it’s a sunrise.

So yes, the world is fragile. Yes, there are troubling signs in every era. But Jesus says these moments are opportunities: “It will lead to your giving testimony.”
When the world is afraid, that’s precisely when disciples are needed — to be hopeful, steady, compassionate, prayerful, courageous.

Because the message of the Gospel is not “The end is near.”
The message is “Christ is here.”

Christ is here — in His Word, in the Eucharist, in His Church, and in every act of mercy and love that pushes back the darkness.

And as we get ready for Advent, the Church isn’t inviting us to fear what’s coming. She’s inviting us to open our hearts to the One who is coming — the One who already walks with us.

So if anyone asks you, “Father, is this the end? Are these the signs?”
Or if you're wondering, “How much longer is this homily going to be?”
Just smile and say:

“The important thing isn’t when it ends.
What matters is who is with us now.”

And the One who is with us — Christ — is all the hope we need.