AS we draw near the end of our liturgical year the thought of the end of things naturally comes to mind, too. And the end is among the central teachings Jesus gave His disciples at the temple in Jerusalem (Luke 21:5-19).
The temple, symbol of permanence
The temple in Jerusalem plays a
major role in the gospel according to Luke: the angel appeared there to
announce the birth of John the precursor of the Savior, the infant Jesus was
presented in the temple where Simeon and Anna recognized Him as the awaited
one, and it was there that the 12-year-old Jesus declared His total commitment
to His Father’s will. And it was while people were admiring the magnificence of
the temple, then still being renovated by Herod the Great, that Jesus chose to
speak of the destruction of this human symbol of might and permanence, the
jewel of the city he wept over (Luke 19:41ff). Foretelling what actually
happened in 70 A.D. when the Roman troops under Titus
systematically devastated Jerusalem and its temple, Jesus Himself must have
been saddened by the thought of the calamity to happen.
But the unthinkable destruction of the temple would only be a local component of a cosmic catastrophe, indicative of the apocalyptic end that entails the end of the world as we know it. This end when it finally comes is not intended primarily as a way of punishing the people. It is to be in fact the fulfillment of God’s grand design for humankind and the entirety of life. There is no need for a crystal ball to predict the destruction of the world; discernment tells us that there is no permanence in the physicality of the world, and there is no forever in the evil that we do. Future chaos as byproduct of the alienation between God’s will and human machinations calls for resolution in an end that is a new beginning.
Do not be deceived
Jesus took the occasion to give the people the correct perspective about present calamities and the real “end of the age” to happen. We must not make the mistake of deducing from the horrendous sufferings caused by natural catastrophes, man-made upheavals and even persecutions at any point in history that the end of the world is imminent. We should not be deceived by those pretending to know when and with what signs, even as we want to be ready for what is coming. Rather, news about horrific and abominable happenings should not just lead us to panic but to faith, awaiting the end to it all in the coming of the Lord.
In the present travails of the world and seemingly endless human problems, we need to understand that we can survive, for they are in fact opportunities for our faith. Before the end of the world comes, Christians can expect to suffer as a matter of course and to suffer much. “You will be hated by all because of my name”—handed over even by one’s own family and friends. But Christ’s followers should know that when sufferings come they are guaranteed aid from above, like the wisdom of Stephen irresistible to his enemies (Acts 6:1).
Patient endurance will ensure victory, eternal life. Thus Christians will be giving testimony to their faith, and dead or alive “martyrs” by profession. Sufferings and struggles borne in fidelity and constancy are but birth pangs of the triumphant end.
Alálaong bagá, the end is actually referred to by us as “the day of the Lord”, the Parousiathat will reveal the full glory of divine power and the triumph of God’s goodness. The end will definitely be the culmination of the realization of our salvation in Christ Jesus. For that reason, as stressed by St. Luke, it will take time, a long time, in coming. The rich man went to “a distant country” after entrusting respective talents to his servants (Luke 19:11ff), and the vineyard owner “went on a journey for a long time” and would not be returning for a long while (Luke 20:9ff). The expectation of the early Christians for an immediate final coming of the Lord expressed in their Maranatha cry was driven precisely by their deep longing for that absolutely joyous and liberating end. True believers think of the end, not with dread, but with confidence and joy.
Join me in meditating on the Word of God every Sunday, from 5 to 6 a.m. on DWIZ 882, or by audio streaming on www.dwiz882.com.