Category: Uncategorized

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Gospel: Luke 21: 5-11

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.”  

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Advent is not only about preparing for the birth of Christ at Christmas. It’s also – and more importantly – about preparing our hearts for the victorious return of Christ at the end of the time. 

We can sense the tension building in our readings today.

Strangely, the end of the world is not something that happens all at once. According to Christ’s predictions, it unfolds in three different stages.

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The first “end” is the death of Jesus in the flesh. Once he cries out from the Cross, “It is finished,” and breathes his last, the world has come to an end for him, physically.

The second “end” is the destruction of the Temple, which Jesus predicts in today’s Gospel. “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.”

Less than 40 years after Christ made this prediction, the Temple was destroyed by the Romans. All that’s left today is a portion of the Western Wall, which remains a critical place of prayer for Jews. 

From a Christian perspective, the destruction of the Temple brought about a symbolic and theological “end” to Old Testament worship as it was no longer needed. Saint Paul tells us, in baptism we become “living stones,” the new temple, body of Christ on earth.

The third “end” is what we often think of – the cosmic conclusion of the universe as we know it. 

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How do I feel about the end of the world? 

Often it’s an uncomfortable topic. But Christians must put this into context; remember what is ending versus what is not.

What is ending are depressing things like sin and death. What is not ending is life. The Lord tells us plainly, “Whoever believes in me has eternal life.” Not here, but in heaven – a place of angels, light, and peace.

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As this season of Advent approaches, may we say what we mean and mean what we say, “Come, Lord Jesus.” 

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Image credits: (1) Pacific Hills Lutheran Church (2) Adobe Stock (3) Christianity Today

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Gospel: Luke 21: 1-4

When Jesus looked up he saw some wealthy people
putting their offerings into the treasury
and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins.
He said, “I tell you truly,
this poor widow put in more than all the rest;
for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth,
but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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In today’s Gospel, we encounter two people who recognize their end is near. That recognition brings them both to the Temple.

One is Jesus. 

The Lord first enters the Temple as a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, held in Mary’s arms. Some thirty years later, the Lord returns one final time, just days away from his death. 

After the explosive drama of turning tables, chasing out moneychangers, and scolding the religious authorities, the Lord’s final image of the Temple is framed by a poor, elderly widow. 

She, too, is nearing her end.

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I imagine her walking slowly towards the treasury, dropping her two final two coins in, saying a prayer of thanksgiving, then disappearing into the crowds.

Little does she know that in the twilight of her life, she has accomplished the final two tasks given to her by God.

First, she anonymously consoles the heart of Christ. In so doing, she fulfills her role as prophetess, foreshadowing what the Lord himself will do just a few days later, offering the “two coins” of own Body and Blood for the salvation of the world.

That week, both Jesus and the widow gave everything they had.

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While none of us are as poor as this widow – or as Christ was – there is one thing that God wants from each of us: our time.

Unlike a few coins, which can be given away then earned again, time is a finite resource, and we don’t know how much have. Nor can we give it all to God at once. Time must be administered in daily doses.

A few minutes spent in silence, pondering a page in the bible, listening to a neighbor burdened by life, a prayer before meals.

How do you offer God your time?

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“This widow has given all she had.”

May we emulate her sacrifice to some small degree each day, giving God what was already his, our life.

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Image credits: (1) The Genie Lab (2) Church of Jesus Christ.org (3) Grace Ministry Mangalore

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Gospel: John 18: 33-37

Pilate said to Jesus,
“Are you the King of the Jews?” 
Jesus answered, “Do you say this on your own
or have others told you about me?” 
Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? 
Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. 
What have you done?” 
Jesus answered, “My kingdom does not belong to this world.
If my kingdom did belong to this world,
my attendants would be fighting
to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. 
But as it is, my kingdom is not here.” 
So Pilate said to him, “Then you are a king?” 
Jesus answered, “You say I am a king. 
For this I was born and for this I came into the world,
to testify to the truth. 
Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Who are the three people whose names are most frequently spoken at Mass?

Certainly Jesus, then Mary.

Who might be the third?

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Not Joseph. Perhaps not even Peter or Paul.

But Pontius Pilate. 

Catholics say his name every Sunday while reciting the creed. 

“I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ… For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried.” 

We include Pilate’s name to emphasize that this was a real historical event. It happened. It matters.

But who, exactly, was Pilate?

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He was the government official put directly in charge of maintaining Roman rule in Judea. Thus, when he speaks to Jesus in today’s Gospel, he speaks with the authority of the most powerful empire the world had ever known.

Pilate reminds Christ of this as the Lord stands trial before him, saying, “Do you not know that I have power to release you and power to crucify you?”

Yet the Lord never asks to be released. His sole concern throughout this sham trial is Pilate’s soul. Even in this horribly heated environment when the stakes couldn’t be higher, Jesus attempts, “to seek and to save what was lost.”

This will be the final encounter the Lord has with a human being before being sent off for execution. His final act is to turn the tables on Pilate, putting him on trial, causing Pilate to make a decision.

Like all of us, Pilate must decide for himself, “Who is this man? Is he a king? Is he my King?”

This is undeniably a day of judgment.

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Pilate’s decision is neither easy nor immediate, revealing just how torn he is. If he were not intrigued by Jesus, then he would’ve sent him off immediately for execution to quell the bloodthirsty crowds.

Yet he staves them off for a time, oscillating between his honest questions, his search for Truth, his fear of an uprising, and his desire to stay in power. 

His indecision is magnified by the fact that he rushes between Jesus and the crowds seven different times. In the process, he asks Jesus more questions than anyone else in the Gospels.

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If Pilate comes to faith, then his first lesson in discipleship will be one of the hardest. As the Lord taught openly during his public ministry, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.” 

A cross for Pilate that would include rejecting the crowds’ demand for blood, saving an innocent man, and dealing with the consequences of a city on the verge of a riot, which very well may cost him his job, even his life.

Stuck in the prison of indecision, Pilate tries to compromise by having Jesus scourged, then offering to release either him or Barabbas in honor of the impending Jewish celebration of Passover.

Interestingly, Barabbas in Hebrew means, “son of the father.”

John uses this tension between Christ – the Son of God the Father – and Barabbas to highlight the stark difference between these two men. One is God, the other is a violent revolutionary. 

And who does the crowd choose? Barabbas.

Throughout history, humankind has chosen the way of Barabbas, the way of brute force and violence, instead of the way of love. 

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So, what might this high-stake encounter between Pilate, the crowds, and Christ say to us today?

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Faith always comes at a cost.

Although Pilate declares before the crowds, “I find this man to be innocent,” he buckles under pressure, having Christ crucified anyway – and releasing a violent man, Barabbas, back into society in the process.

At times, we, too, experience this pressure to buckle under the weight of the world, instead of making faith-based decisions. 

Whether that includes honesty at home or at work, moral decisions when we think no one is watching, or speaking out against the crowds, making an unpopular, but right, decision. 

For every believer, faith comes at a cost.

What are some of the pressures we face? Or when has it been difficult to choose Jesus over someone or something else?

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Every Sunday we profess that Jesus Christ was crucified under Pontius Pilate, not only to say his death matters; it also has consequences for our lives today.

May all of our actions this week reflect our faith in Jesus Christ, not only King of the Universe, by our King.

My King.

My Lord and my God!

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Image credits: (1) Miles Christi (2) iStock (3) The Oneness of God in Christ