Jesus had a knack for speaking words that made his listeners uneasy: words that took them by surprise, words that forced them to confront their own prejudices and preconceptions; he had a knack for speaking words that led them to reconsider what it meant to be numbered amongst God’s elect. Imagine yourself sitting on the steps of the Temple, listening to Jesus share his lesson of the day that is aimed at shaking your complacency and mine.
Perhaps Jesus was speaking literally when he cautioned his disciples, “the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down,” foretelling the destruction of the temple, which was the most magnificent building in Jerusalem, destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. Today the Wailing Wall is all that is left of the splendid temple that once graced the skyline of Jerusalem. More likely, he was speaking, as he often does, figuratively, voicing a wake up call to his followers. Don’t be so sure that what we now take for granted will be invincible and secure, be it the vision we hold of America as the home of the brave and the land of the free or the relationships we now treasure that will someday be a distant memory.
Last Tuesday, the unthinkable happened. Half of those who voted were elated to hear that Donald Trump won the number of electoral votes needed to become president-elect while others moaned that Hillary Clinton won the most votes yet lost the race. The victors are looking forward to change while the vanquished are wondering what will be left standing when Trump leaves office.
The election is over and now we have to move on. Our minds might be focused on what lies ahead for our country in the coming months and years but lets not lose sight of what ultimately matters in the end, namely our eternal salvation.
Like a drop of water compared to the open sea, the next four years and for that matter, the rest of our lives pale in comparison to the notion of eternity. The language we find in these readings is known as apocalyptic, referring to the “end times.” The Thessalonians thought that the end of the world would happen in their lifetime so many were unwilling to work, but Paul urges them to continue to do their fair share, using himself as an example as one who worked tirelessly, so not to burden any of them.
2000 years later, despite the number of wars, insurrections, earthquakes, famines, and plagues that have occurred, the end times have not happened. The odds that we will witness this event are rather unlikely, yet we will all encounter another end of time. Sooner or later, the end of time comes when the living cross the threshold of death. Upon taking our last breath, we will enter the realm of eternity where time will no longer be measured.
The gospel concludes with the advice, “By your perseverance you will secure your lives.” So, will our final destiny be heaven or hell? That answer lies in how well we are persevering in carrying out our mission as his disciples. For anyone who dismisses the notion of hell, Archbishop Fulton Sheen cautioned, “The hell there is!”
Some people may fear that dark times are coming but as Jesus said, “do not be terrified,” and rightly so. These readings are really filled with hope, not doom or fear. Along with all those terrifying things, good things happen as well, because many people persevere in living their lives as Jesus repeatedly taught and we find summarized in the Corporal and Spiritual works of mercy. As he promised, Jesus will give us the wisdom we need to speak and act boldly when we act with selfless love to seek first the good of another person. He assured his disciples, “I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.” He is challenging us be counter-cultural. Where bigotry and hatred exist, let love and mercy prevail.
Despite the wars we fight, the earthquakes that shake our inner being, the disasters that topple our secure self-centered worlds, we can always rebuild our lives on the stronger and timeless things of God: love, compassion, reconciliation, friendship, and generosity. Even the little acts of kindness and self-sacrifice we perform affect all that is.
Catastrophes, disasters, wars, plaques and insurrections are not signs that the end of the world is near, but of how far we are actually from the end. We hasten the end not by being fearful of these events, but by being faithful to establishing the kingdom of God in our midst.
We will know the end is near, not because of increased terror or hardship, rampant evil, or lack of care for each other. To the contrary, the end is near when goodness and love are abundant, when caring and sharing mark our daily living, when all peoples are brothers and sisters to one another, regardless of their ethnicity, gender, race or creed.
The end will be marked by goodness, not evil, when God’s reign of peace and justice is finally established throughout our world, not just in our country. The end will be here when Jesus will have accomplished his mission with the help of countless disciples. When that final moment of time arrives, there will be no more work for salvation to be done.