END OF TIMES

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus predicted the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple. He 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.” (Lk 21:5) This is the consequence of the faithlessness of the people of Israel. The temple was destroyed when they rebelled against the Romans. Most of them died, the rest were taken into captivity and the temple utterly destroyed. The point here is that even the finest religious buildings have no value unless people faithfully do the will of God. Everything will not last. Only Christ lasts. He is the New Temple, the new place of right praise where people meet and encounter God. And we are the living temple of God because the Spirit of God dwells in us. Jesus is teaching at the temple area and He knows that the end of His public ministry is approaching. That is why He prepares His disciples for His departure. We are also about to close the Church liturgical year and Advent is just around the corner. The Word of God reminds us to persevere until the end because by perseverance we secure our lives. God will never give up on us. We are called to live each day fully in the company of Jesus. We are called to persist as witnesses of light and hope. We are called to remain steadfast in our faith and to persevere in our service to the Gospel. We are called to focus on what is above because that is our final home: to be with God forever. To focus on what is above means that we focus on the Risen Christ who defeated evil, sin and death forever. We are called to share in the victory of Jesus. To focus on what is below is to build our lives on foundations that are weak and temporary. Only God’s love will prevail. He has the absolute control of history and ultimate victory. The end of times reminds us that our own lives in this world will not last forever. Death is certain but for us believers, it is not and can never be the last word. It is a passage and transition from this life to the next. The life that awaits us is beyond our imagination. God alone has the last and ultimate Word. We are called to live fearless lives and learn to rely on God alone because that is the only way to be strong.