Today is the second to the last Sunday of the Church year. Next Sunday we will celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. As the Church nears the end of the liturgical year, the Scripture readings take on a more ominous nature. The readings traditionally speak about the end of the world, the end time, the final coming of Jesus to take all peoples and all creation to himself.
Each of the readings speak of a future time when there will be judgment and a reckoning before God. The tone of the readings is foreboding and the imagery includes cosmic upheaval. BUT in the outcome, we see the triumph of good over evil and that new life will overcome the fear of death. We see love, giving of ourselves to others. We see hope even in the most difficult of times.
The first half of today’s gospel leans heavily on traditional language and ideas of the Old Testament. In the passage immediately before today’s gospel, Jesus spoke about the fall and destruction of Jerusalem. We can’t imagine the impact of Jesus’ words on the Israelites. For them Jerusalem and its Temple was the very dwelling place of God. It was also a significant event for the early Church as well. As you recall, in the early Church, Christians assembled in private homes to share the Eucharist. It is a good reminder that Christ is to be found in the people and not in a building.
The description of the events is not to be understood literally as a prophecy of what is actually going to happen. Rather, we are to look at the inner meaning of these happenings. While these things are being forecast, there is no time frame given. Even so, the early Christians did expect that Jesus would come in their lifetime as reflected in the words “this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place.” This was natural for to those who grew up in the Jewish tradition, the end of Jerusalem would only mean the end of the world. But by the time Mark’s gospel is being written, people were beginning to have doubts about the imminent coming of Christ.
Then, Jesus gives us a short parable of the fig tree. Now, fig trees were on the Mount of Olives, where Jesus is speaking. The tree only sprouts its leaves in late spring. When they appear, the Israelites knew summer was near. So, Jesus, in effect, is saying that although the end of the world is being described in calamitous terms, his disciples are to respond with faith, with hope, with anticipation. What Jesus is saying is the end of the world is the new beginning, the new hope. The end of the world is indeed the victory of God and the end of all the lessor gods which mankind has created for themselves over the centuries. Heaven and earth, the sun, moon and stars may all disappear, but God’s truth, love and justice will prevail forever. A stark contrast between the Israelites vision of the end times and that of Jesus.
Do you remember back some 15 years at the end of the millennium when we entered the new millennium — remember all those warnings that the “end was near.” There were those who warned that God was offended by so much evil and that he was going to take a terrible vengeance on the world. On June 11, 2000 Janet and I were about to enter the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Sacramento with 17 other couples as we began to process in for my ordination—the men in white albs and our spouses in white dresses. Standing off to the side dressed in black were a small group of people carrying signs warning us that the judgment of God would strike us down. Again, a stark contrast in our understanding of hope. Such black and white, god and evil clashes still exist in some religious communities. We recently witnessed this judgmental, condemning attitude while waiting for a ferry in Mukilteo. This understanding is not from our faith tradition and should be avoided at all times—God does not take revenge!
God is not hurt or offended by what we do. His is never-changing love. He has nothing but compassion for the sinner who cannot hurt God but only hurt himself. We can safely say God is totally proactive, not reactive! No one, says Jesus, not even he himself knows when the end will come. It is not for us to worry about that. Worrying will not help. On the other hand, we should not play a kind of Russian roulette with life and keep putting off the day of conversion to God.
The only way to live today and every day is in his love and service. It is the present which determines the future; so let’s just concentrate on the here and now. Then, we have already entered the Lord’s kingdom and when, early or late, he comes to call us to himself, it will just be a reunion of old friends. In fact, God is already here and has always been and always will be. It is not that he will come to us, but that we will enter into a deeper relationship with him when we pass through death to new life.
Yes, there are times when we feel helpless, maybe abandoned by God. I can’t tell you how often I have grasped for the Serenity prayer: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.”
We should never be surprised by how messy life can get or how degenerate we can be. What is surprising rather is that sometimes – like a child of God or a saint– we do experience simple happiness, simple meaning, and simple faith. In our reflections these past several weeks on Ladato Si, Pope Francis reminds us of the beauty of living simple faith– a faith that is expressed day-in and day-out in our relationships with others where truth and love and justice prevail. And, then, all of God’s people, saints and sinners, will shine with the splendor of the stars. As Daniel reminds us, “the wise shall shine brightly/ like the splendor of the firmament/ and those who lead the many to justice/shall be like the stars forever.”
Conceivably, the text today is not so much about the end of the world as it is a commentary on living in it. This moment, this day, this life is the time to bear fruit—to be good stewards, to be there for others, to beacons of light and hope, to love. Another year is about to rush by. Seize the moment!! May we never forget God’s purpose for our lives. It is to love and evoke love, no matter where we may be. It is to receive with a full heart, the gift of Christ’s once-and-for-all redemptive act. It is to sing, with the psalmist: “For you are my God, you alone are my joy. Defend me, O Lord.” It is to welcome the opportunity of each moment, of each and every breath.