General. Serving God is a source of pleasure and well-being in itself. It is a sign of fulfilling one’s mission of worldly existence. Without waxing philosophical, it is a matter of existentialism. What are we doing here and why? There is no answer to this question, especially when things turn really sour. The best answer is, as ever, to accept God as the creator, carer and end of our life, and to turn to Him by serving and adoring Him. This we can well do starting from this Eucharistic Liturgy and continuing thereafter during the week.

Daniel. This is a short reading brimming, as expected in these darker autumn days, with Last Judgment literature. The theme is one of salvation for those who are written in the Book of Life, who have made the Scripture their constant guide and abided by it. Notwithstanding the calamities, those who walked in God’s ways as guided by His Word in Scripture, and those who led others through the same path, will shine out as stars for evermore.

Letter to the Hebrews. The sacrifice of the body of Jesus on Calvary took place for the redemption of sins once and for all. By means of this single sacrifice, which is now repeated by the priest while celebrating the Eucharist, all who are sanctified (baptised) have been perfected for all times. So now the sacrifice is different. It is not done in expiation for a nation’s sins but in remembrance of Christ’s passion and death to redeem us from the slavery brought on us by sin.

St Mark. Watch is the word. We do not know when the end of times will arrive for us individually or collectively. It is a question of recognizing the Signs of the Times. Many a time we are too busy with our everyday matters and business concerns to realise what the tell-tale signs our body is sending us mean, or to take of our spiritual needs, or to commit ourselves in the hands of God by means of the faith we have received through baptism. Its me, my ability to perform and to deliver, how much of a ‘can-do’ I can be. Yet God calls and we must beware not being prepared. The purpose of a life-time is to be in God’s constant presence and adoration, right from here to everafter.

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