Church of the
Annunciation

I have reached a milestone, actually two: Medicare and Social Security. I am much closer to the end of my life than the beginning. Thinking about the end of one’s own life is not morbid. In theology and Scripture study it is called “eschatology” – from the Greek word “eschaton” meaning “end.” All three reading today invite us to reflect on the mystery of the end times. Malachi, a Jewish prophet, God’s messenger, speaks of a day of reckoning when evildoers will be punished “but for you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays.” In our second reading, St. Paul writes to the Church at Thessalonica. Thessalonians believe that they will see Jesus come in glory which has led some to party – eat, drink and be merry. Paul exhorts them to keep on working and tend to the needs of the community as disciples of Jesus Christ. In the Gospel, disciples are admiring the magnificent Temple. Jesus predicts the day is coming when the temple will be ruins. He also goes on to speak of impending war, insurrection, earthquakes, famine, plagues --and if this is not enough disaster -- persecution and betrayal. What Jesus speaks of, to some degree, happens in every generation. The “end” is not just a distant probability, but a present reality. Look at the devastation in the wake of the typhoon that passed over the Philippines. What the people knew and treasured before this powerful hurricane has been washed and blown away. They continue in a daze like the people who saw and experienced the destruction of the great Temple in Jerusalem. Reflecting on the “end time” can help us live more fully in the present moment. Do we wish to live immoral lives, holding on to grudges and hanging on to material goods? Or do we desire to live with fidelity, integrity, goodness and compassion? Like the Thessalonians we do not need to anticipate the 2^nd Coming of Jesus with dread but with great joy.