THIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
We’re fast coming to the end of yet another liturgical year. Next Sunday, the Solemnity of Christ the King, is the last Sunday of this liturgical year; the following Sunday is already the first Sunday of Advent! And, as you know, each liturgical year features one of the three synoptic gospels: Matthew, Mark or Luke. This year, we’ve heard from the Gospel according to Luke. As we have heard so clearly in this gospel, Jesus is the hope of the world. No matter what, no matter when, Jesus will be there to save us and give us the fullness of life; that fills us with great hope.
Down through the ages, there have been prophets of doom, determined to undermine and sense of hope. That has even happened in our own time. Those of you who were old enough at the time will remember the dire predictions of the end of the world as we knew it as the year 2000 approached. There is nothing new in people making such predictions. As we hear in today’s gospel passage, it even happened in the time of Jesus and it will happen again, I’m sure.
In the world in which Jesus lived, there were particular events that seemed to foretell the end of the world; the destruction of the temple in 70AD was just such an event. To some people, that event signaled the time when the Messiah would come again and the end was near. Luke is careful to teach that the end of the world is not going to be connected with any event we can predict.
In today’s gospel account, written after the destruction of the temple, we hear Jesus use the event of the temple being destroyed to make a very important point. On a clear day, the temple in Jerusalem had been visible from miles away. Standing 15 stories high – by far the tallest building in the area – it was covered with white marble. Its tall front was encrusted with gold and, as we hear in today’s gospel, costly stones and silver votive offerings. It was a marvelous sight to behold as it glistened in the sun. Like our own capital building, the temple was a visible symbol of stability and strength. Anyone who had ever seen the temple was confident that it was always going to be standing as a witness to the greatness of God.
Our text today relates the disciples asking Jesus a very understandable question. If what Jesus had just told them was true – namely that the temple itself would fall – when would this catastrophic event take place? They thought that it would mark the end of the world as they knew it and they wanted to be ready!
In this day and age of wars in so many parts of the world and terrorist attacks in our own country, of not knowing what the future may hold, it’s a good idea for us to be diligent so that we will be ready because it will mark the moment when our Lord comes. “But not a hair of your head will be destroyed,” we hear Jesus assure us in today’s gospel. He goes on to instruct us that “By your perseverance you will secure your lives.” He is comforting his followers – then and now – that by our faith in him, our lives will be saved. The world may be falling apart around us, but having faith in Jesus will save us. We may die – in fact, we will all die – but our faith teaches us very clearly that, as we hear presented so poetically in today’s first reading, for those of us who fear God’s name – that is, respect God above all things and put our trust in him alone – there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays. Of course, this speaks of Jesus at his second coming who will heal us of any pain and suffering and raise us to eternal glory with him.
We live in a very confusing and, in many ways, a broken world. We live in a world where there is suffering, pain, and sorrow. We live in a world where competing beliefs and politics threaten to undo our ability to live together in peace. But, while so many question where the world is going, we who put our trust in God and his only begotten son can live in peace.
As busy as we are with our everyday concerns, we often avoid thinking about the end of the world and the Second Coming of Christ. However, the day will come – we do not know when – when he will return for each of us at the end of our lives and for a final judgment at the end of time. In the meantime, we are called today to work for the coming his kingdom. We all have an eternal destiny and an earthly role to prepare for it. And, with the Gospel of Luke, we are called to be messengers of hope – hope in the salvation that Jesus has brought all who put their trust in him. As it was over 2,000 years ago, the ultimate answer is to be found in Jesus Christ.
There is no need for us to be afraid! As followers of Jesus, we have nothing to fear about the end of our lives or the end of time. We have nothing to fear about death or the end of the world. Even in our suffering and pain, we have nothing to fear. We are not immune to the pain of this world: Jesus wasn’t. We are not set apart from the world, but experience all the harsh realities of this world with an enduring sense of hope.
So, let us wait for the Lord’s coming not with fear, but with hope. He will come to save all who put their hope and trust in him.