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Gospel: Luke 21: 5-19
While some people were speaking about
how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings,
Jesus said, “All that you see here–
the days will come when there will not be left
a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.”
Then they asked him,
“Teacher, when will this happen?
And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?”
He answered,
“See that you not be deceived,
for many will come in my name, saying,
‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’
Do not follow them!
When you hear of wars and insurrections,
do not be terrified; for such things must happen first,
but it will not immediately be the end.”
Then he said to them,
“Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues
from place to place;
and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.
“Before all this happens, however,
they will seize and persecute you,
they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons,
and they will have you led before kings and governors
because of my name.
It will lead to your giving testimony.
Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand,
for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking
that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.
You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends,
and they will put some of you to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.
By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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It’s easy to see why some people think the world is coming to an end. All you have to do is hold the newspaper in one hand and Luke’s Gospel in the other.
“Nation will rise against nation.” Check.
Sadly, it feels like that prophecy is happening within our own nation.
“There will be powerful earthquakes.” Check.
“Famines and plagues.” Check, check.
“Awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.” Lord, does that include hurricanes and typhoons? If so, check.
In fact, in the last month, there have been 5 earthquakes and 4 typhoons that battered the Philippines, washing away entire villages. More than 1 million people were evacuated and housed in one of 6,000 different shelters across the main island.
“But before all this happens,” Jesus says, “they will seize you and persecute you.” Check.
More Christians were killed in the 20th century than all previous 19 centuries combined.
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This frightening – and honest – Gospel passage not only looks to the present and future age, but also to the past when, in nearly every generation, people could’ve imagined the end was near.
Only it wasn’t.
This confusing delay of the Lord is one of the stickiest issues Christians face. Even Jesus, who supposedly has access to God’s calendar, doesn’t seem to know when the end will come.
But consider when he said these things. As Jesus was walking with his disciples in the Temple, one of them must’ve stopped to admire its beauty; it was one of the greatest buildings of its age.
Knowing that within 40 years, the Temple would crumble, never to be rebuilt, and that within a handful of days he himself will be buried in the earth, Jesus makes these predictions.
If that’s not enough, the Lord wraps a nice little bow around his words by saying, “Do not be afraid.”
Lord, how can we not be?
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It’s easy for people to see the signs of the times as proof of God’s absence. Maybe he has other matters to attend to in another corner of the universe. Or maybe he’s given up on creation.
No. All of these events are signs of God’s presence.
The fact that Jesus mentions each of these events is a sign he knows they will come. And when they do – as they have century after century – Christians are to be reminded of his words, then to ask for the grace of perseverance.
“Not a hair on your head will be destroyed,” he promises. “By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”
This is the real heart of the matter: Jesus never promised to lead us around trial or terror, but through it.
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As Saint Paul said at the end of his own life, “I have competed well; I have fought the good fight; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith.” Paul uses athletic language – I have competed, fought, run – to stress the physical nature of his struggles.
Scholars estimate he walked 10,000 miles on foot. In the course of his journeys, he was repeatedly beaten, tortured, bloodied, abandoned, and left for dead. Not to mention the many nights he spent at sea or shipwrecked.
Many of Paul’s pastoral letters were written from prison. Yet he never lost his faith; rather, it seems his trials only strengthened his conviction.
“What can separate us from the love of Christ?” he writes. “Peril or nakedness or the sword? … No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who has loved us.”
Paul was convinced that through his suffering, the Lord was leading him to peaceful waters; to green pastures; to eternal life.
This is an original – almost unique – Pauline insight, that in our suffering, there is grace. In our peril, God is present.
As the Psalmist foretold long ago, “Even though I walk through the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are at my side. Your rod and your staff give me courage.”
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Earthquakes. Plagues. Famine.
Check, check, check.
Perhaps the only way to accept these truths is to pray for the grace of surrender; to live and breathe in this world on God’s terms, not our own. In this Eucharist, may we trust that Christ is with us so that his prayer to his Father from the Cross may become our own.
“Into your hands, I commend my spirit.”
Check.
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Image credits: (1) CS Lewis Institute (2) NPR (3) Crosswalk.com