in the Spirit of the 24th and Last Sunday after Pentecost (V November, II Classis)
The final Sunday of the liturgical year, Dominica XXIV et ultima post Pentecosten, draws our attention to both the end of time and the endurance of God’s Kingdom in the face of tribulation. On this day, the Church presents two weighty texts: St. Paul’s exhortation to the Colossians (Col 1:9–14) and Our Lord’s eschatological discourse in the Gospel of St. Matthew (Matt 24:15–35). Together, these readings form a solemn crescendo, pointing us toward the consummation of all things in Christ.
As Dom Gueranger writes in The Liturgical Year, the Church, “at the end of her cycle, points out the glorious destiny reserved for the elect, after the final tribulations which will purify the earth.” This Sunday, poised between the end of time and the feast of Christ the King (in the Traditional Calendar celebrated last month), is imbued with both gravity and hope—a liturgical echo of the Dies Irae, yet suffused with the light of Christ’s enduring dominion.
“That you may walk worthy of God…”
(Colossians 1:9–14)
St. Paul’s words to the Colossians are a prayer, a pouring forth of apostolic desire for the sanctification and perseverance of the faithful. “That you may be filled with the knowledge of His will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” The Apostle calls us to a mode of life fitting for the final days—not merely moral rectitude, but a spiritual maturity born of divine illumination.
St. John Chrysostom, commenting on this passage, notes that “he who has been made worthy to know the will of God has mounted to the very summit of blessedness” (Hom. in Col.). For Paul, knowledge of God’s will is not abstract: it bears fruit in “every good work,” it increases one’s participation in divine life, and it endows the soul with patience and longsuffering—the very virtues required in the face of apocalyptic turmoil.
Most profoundly, Paul reminds us that through the Father’s grace, we have been “delivered from the power of darkness, and translated into the kingdom of the Son of His love.” This is not a future hope only—it is a present reality. The faithful soul, having been rescued from the dominion of Satan through baptism and grace, now lives under the gentle and absolute rule of Christ.
St. Augustine teaches that “all who are not in Christ are in the power of darkness; but those who have been brought to the light of the truth have already passed into the Kingdom of Christ” (Enarr. in Ps. 103). Yet, this deliverance must be preserved, for tribulations may yet arise to shake the soul’s foundations.
“When therefore you shall see the abomination of desolation…”
(Matthew 24:15–35)
In the Gospel, Our Lord warns of dire times to come—the “abomination of desolation” spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place. Historically, this referred to the desecration of the Temple, and for the early Christians, it pointed to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. But as the Church Fathers and the liturgy teach us, this prophecy also foreshadows the final tribulation at the end of time.
St. Jerome interprets this abomination as “Antichrist, who pretends to be God and sits in the Temple of God” (In Matt. xxiv), echoing St. Paul’s warning in 2 Thessalonians 2:4. The desolation, then, is not only the destruction of visible structures, but the spiritual ruin caused by apostasy and the usurpation of divine honor.
Our Lord’s words are both frightening and consoling. He speaks of days shortened “for the sake of the elect” (Matt 24:22), of false Christs and false prophets deceiving even the faithful, “if it were possible.” Yet amid this tumult, He assures us: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away” (v. 35).
St. Hilary of Poitiers comments that in this assurance, “the permanence of truth is contrasted with the fragility of created things.” The words of Christ—His doctrine, His promises—will endure beyond the dissolution of the cosmos. This is the rock upon which the soul must build.
A Church in Vigil, A Soul in Exile
The liturgy today is that of a Church in vigil: aware of the judgment to come, yet rooted in hope. The Collect of the day beseeches God to stir up the wills of the faithful, that they, “more earnestly seeking the fruit of good works,” may receive an abundance of mercy.
This is no passive waiting. It is the patient endurance of those who have been “translated into the kingdom of the Son,” who now live as exiles in a fallen world, hastening toward the eternal Kingdom. The tribulations foretold by Christ are not simply events of the past or fears for the future—they are present realities, both in the Church’s persecution and the soul’s trials.
St. Cyprian writes, “The day of affliction has begun to dawn, because the sword of the Lord has begun to prepare itself against the world… but if we are found faithful, we shall reign with Christ” (Ep. 58).
Conclusion: Hold Fast the Kingdom
As the liturgical year draws to its solemn close, the Church bids us reflect on time’s end and eternity’s dawn. Colossians and Matthew together remind us: we have already been rescued from darkness and made citizens of Christ’s Kingdom—but we must endure, and not be deceived.
Let us, then, with the Fathers and the saints, “walk worthy of God,” bearing fruit in patience and vigilance. Let us cleave to the unshakable word of Christ, which shall not pass away. And let us pray that, when the signs in heaven are shaken and the Son of Man appears in glory, we may be found among the elect, awaiting Him with lamps burning.
“Eternal God, Who by Thine almighty power hast preserved us this year from spiritual desolation, grant us grace to walk as children of light, until the day dawn and the morning star rises in our hearts.” Amen.