(James Tissot: The prophecy of the destruction of the Temple)
"The days will come when there will not be left one stone upon another . . ."
Luke 21: 5-9
The end is near! The end is near! That may be the summary of
our readings this Sunday and those of the recent past Sunday’s. Now and then we actually hear of particular
self proclaimed prophets of doom who warn us that the last day are coming at a
precise date and time of day. Some may
wait with baited breath, others may scoff, and many simply ignore such warnings
dismissing them as misguided. Even Jesus
in the Gospel today warns against false prophets who preach in his name: “Do not follow them!” The day comes – and
it goes with nothing out of the ordinary happening and that particular person
may simply be forgotten. It is an effort
in futility – or is it?
The unsettling imagery we hear in the readings today may at
least bring confusion to our present day ears.
We hear of the day coming, “blazing
like an oven”. . . that day that is coming will set them on fire . . . and in
the Gospel Jesus own words and warnings about the destruction of the Jerusalem
Temple and “wars and insurrections . . . Nation will rise against nation . . .
powerful earthquakes, famines and plagues . . . be handed over by parents,
relatives . . . put to death . . .hated by all . . .” Makes you want to
simply stay in bed with the cover over your head and hope it is nothing more
than a frightening nightmare! Yet, it must have pained Jesus to speak these words both as the Son of God and as a faithful Jew.
Always this time of year as we approach Advent and the
beginning of a new liturgical year, we hear these readings with this ominous
end of time imagery. We may wonder, at least on some level, if the truth is
that God really may have this side of his personality – that is to frighten us
into obedience. I may likewise look at my life and easily find moments of worry
about many things related to family, health, safety, finances, or the future.
Historically, what Luke describes in his Gospel as the
destruction of the sacred Temple of Jerusalem by the Romans had already taken
place in the year 70 A.D. Once conquered,
the Romans proudly confiscated the menorah, the sacred lamp stand, from the
Temple and carried it off triumphantly to Rome. Was this end? That Temple was
never rebuilt to this day. The citizens of Jerusalem found themselves in the
midst of rubble and destruction to wonder where God is? While the Gospel
reflects the tough social realities under which the early Christians found
themselves they still easily apply to us.
But, truly these are words of encouragement towards the importance of
faithfulness in following the Lord. Listen
to the words of Malachi as today’s passage ends: “But for you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with
its healing rays.”
And in Luke, Jesus states:
“You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will
be destroyed . . . you will secure your lives.” These are readings of hope
and a call to faith. In spite of great
tribulation, God is ultimately in control and for the faithful, he will be
their Savior. And he will sit with us in the train wreck to show us the way
back.
The real take away for this Sunday, I think, is a great lesson
in the uselessness of worry. We would all love to wave the magic wand and have
all those who were raised in the faith but now no longer practice to suddenly
reappear and fill the pews or to stop time and cease aging. Maybe even have a
guarantee that we will live in perfect health for at least 100 years. But such things that we worry about are
beyond our control.
So, the call of this time, then, is to be at peace and to not
fear. To trust in the end that no matter
what may come our way, we are called to do good. If we should worry about anything it might be
that I am so worried about things that I am doing nothing good or productive
either for others or for myself. That I may not carry out the work the Gospel
calls me to do. Rather, I must trust the words of Christ that if I am faithful
to the Gospel “not a hair of my head will
be destroyed.”
I may find that I am grateful that God put me here in this
life, that he has given us the Holy Spirit, called us to a rich faith
community, his Body the Church, and given us many opportunities to live out the
Gospel in his service day by day and that he loves me more than I can imagine.
That he shares his living presence with us in the sacraments and in particular
the Holy Eucharist which is he - food for our journey through life. In other
words, carry on the work of the Gospel, do not be deterred by what may appear
the end of the road, but pick up and move forward in faithfulness.
Now, that’s good news no matter what other forces may come my
way. The best antidote to the illness of
too much worry is to do the opposite, the work of the Gospel. We all have the
time and ability to live the Gospel out with joy and trust.
Grant us, we pray, O Lord our God,
the constant gladness of being devoted to you,
for it is full and lasting happiness
to serve with constancy
the author of all that is good.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ,
your Son, who lives and reigns
with you in the unity of the
Holy Spirit, one God
forever and ever.
(Collect of Sunday)
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