HOMILY FOR TUESDAY OF THE 34TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR II/Memorial of St. Cecilia (Virgin and Martyr).

Homily for Tuesday 34th Week in Ordinary Time. 

Memorial of St. Cecilia (Virgin and Martyr). 

Revelation 14:14-19; Luke 21:5-11.

In the First Reading, our Lord Jesus Christ is pictured as taking the righteous with him. He reaps the harvest: "So he who sat upon the cloud swung his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped" (Rev. 14:16). We also have the vision of the punishment of the wicked at the end of the First Reading: "So the angel swung his sickle on the earth, and threw it into the great wine press of the wrath of God" (Rev.14:19). The treading of the grapes in the wine press represents the punishment of the wicked.

This two imagery reminds us of the last day and the judgment that will come that day. It calls for spiritual vigilance and faithfulness.

It is this call to be vigilant that Jesus in today's Gospel is calling our attention to. It is easy for us to be lost in the wild world of material pursuit, progress or success that we forget our eternal destiny.

When we admire the good things of life and they bring us closer to God as a result of their beauty, then we are on the right track but if we admire them for the good in them and not seeing God's presence through them, the words of Jesus in today's Gospel when he said, "As for these things which you see, the days will come when there shall be not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down" (Luke 21:6), can be applicable to us. Nothing in this world is worth throwing away our souls for.

In fact, nothing is worth one drop of unnecessary sweat if it does not prepare us for that ultimate encounter with God. There is only one thing that no fire can consume, and no violence can shatter. It is a spiritually strong and spiritually holy character. Buildings massive and solid, fortunes large and brilliant, kingdoms fortified by great armies all collapsed. While this world may be good, let us never ascribe it the value it does not have.

We celebrate the memorial of St. Cecilia a virgin and martyr of the second or third century. She is the patron saint of musicians. There is little reliable information about her life, but her complete dedication to Christ and her endurance during tortures make her an outstanding witness of Christian faith to follow.

Through the intercession of St. Cecilia, may God grant us the grace to be vigilant and watchful in prayer and doing good deeds that His coming back will meet us ready through Christ our Lord