The End of Time

The End of Time

Lk 21: 5 – 19

33^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Introduction

Today’s Gospel speaks about the end times. Jesus says that the end times will surely come. However, while he tells us of its certainty, he warns us not to be deceived by those who come and announce its coming. Jesus, instead tells us to endure whatever trials and tribulations may come and assures those who persevere of their welfare and salvation.

The Gospel

⁵ When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, ⁶ “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.”

⁷ They asked him, “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?” ⁸ And he said, “Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he! and, ‘The time is near!’ Do not go after them.

⁹ “When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.” ¹⁰ Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; ¹¹ there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.

¹² “But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. ¹³ This will give you an opportunity to testify. ¹⁴ So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; ¹⁵ for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. ¹⁶ You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. ¹⁷ You will be hated by all because of my name. ¹⁸ But not a hair of your head will perish. ¹⁹ By your endurance you will gain your souls.

Reflection

We are coming close to the end of the liturgical year. This is also why our readings in the past Sundays seem to familiarize us with themes that speak about the end of days.

In today’s reading, Jesus speaks about the end times. Luke introduces us to this theme by situating Jesus and his followers right there in the temple which was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings. The temple was God’s dwelling. But it too was an iconic symbol of grandeur, beauty and human engineering. It was a landmark that captured the best of what society could offer in terms of art, engineering and wealth. Notwithstanding all these, Jesus makes a stark prediction about the temple, saying: “ 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.”  Indeed, everything that our human hands have made and have achieved will all come to a sad end; and perhaps even to a violent end, with Jesus telling us that not a stone will be left on top of the other.

However, while Jesus tells his disciples of the certainty of the end, he issues a warning to them, telling them to beware of those who proclaim that the end has already come and to likewise be wary of those who claim to be the messiah. Jesus has one clear advice regarding this: “ Do not follow them!” Apparently, Jesus already disqualifies those who seem to be able to predict the time or the hour when the end would come and issues a clear directive regarding the matter.  But this also makes it clear to us that while the end times will surely come, no one really knows for sure when it would happen.

What is sure though, according to Jesus, are the signs that accompany the end times. Luke categorizes these signs in two:

            First comes the external signs. Of these, Jesus says that people will be at war. This will be accompanied by cosmological upheavals like earthquakes and natural disasters like famines and plagues and even signs from the sky.

Then comes the second category: internal signs. These include persecutions where his followers will be apprehended and handed over to authorities; persecutions that come even from within family circles. Death will always be a possibility for those who follow Jesus; hatred and defamation will be the lot of those who follow him.  

But beyond all these external and internal manifestations of this impending end, Jesus tells his disciples not to lose faith and assures them that not a hair on their head will be destroyed. Jesus even assures those persecuted not to worry about their own defense, as the Lord himself will give them the wisdom to speak in front of their adversaries.  In the end, no amount of persecution nor hatred, not even death shall prevail upon God’s beloved ones, for God deeply cares for them until the very end.

The thought about the end times gives us some discomfort. This gospel’s description about it is frightening indeed. It is violent in nature. Imagine Jesus graphically telling us about the temple’s destruction; about wars, famine and plagues and about unfamiliar portents in the sky. It is violent because it talks about persecution, about being put to death, of being hated and defamed even by one’s own family members. I guess the violence that accompanies the end speaks of a weak and fragile universe and of a frail humanity that is often self destructive, not because God wanted it to be so, but because of its own will to destroy itself.

But the end also teaches us some wisdom; that everything has to end and will have to end in some way or the other; that to hold on and cling on to anything that is created and temporal is momentary; that some of the things we cherish and treasure on this earth will all come to pass some day; that even those things that our ego holds on to, our pride, our reputation, our achievements, our wealth, our vainglory shall all be folded up and vanish from the face of the earth and remembered no more. Everything must go.

There is just one thing, however, that the Lord wants us to hold on to. Jesus tells us to persevere amidst all the trials and tribulations; to persevere amidst the persecution, amidst the difficulties of life, amidst the insults, deprivations and injustice that come our way; to keep our faith and spirits high despite the reality of a self-destructive world around us; and always to believe in him who cares and promises that not a single strand of our hair shall be destroyed. In the end, it is simply the Lord who shall remain and nothing else. Until the very end of our lives, the Lord will remain our hope, our help, our savior. 

Prayer

Dear Lord, the end makes me afraid. It makes me afraid because all that I am familiar with will suddenly disappear and all that will be left for me is what is unfamiliar and unknown to me.  On the other hand, I ask myself why I want to cling to this world; a world full of hatred and violence; a world that persecutes anything that is close to you?

Perhaps, what has sustained me all this time in this imperfect world is the care and the love that you keep pouring into my life. This is perhaps why I have survived. Keep me under your watchful eye Lord so I may not be troubled even if the earth should rock or the mountains and hills fall into the sea.  I know you will keep me safe and secure now and until the end of my days. Amen.

“For here we have no lasting city, but we are looking for the city that is to come. “– Hebrews 13: 14