Date: Sunday, November 13, 2022

Something surprising happend on Election Tuesday. Not the tabulation of votes in the evening. In the early morning at 5 AM --  a total eclipse of the moon. Wow! In the ancient world viewing such an eclipse of the moon would cause a great deal of wonder and speculation on what this rare happening in the dawn sky could mean or foretell on earth. In our Gospel today some people are admiring the costly stones and votive offerings that adorn the great Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. Jesus comments: “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.” Shocked, onlookers ask him: “Teacher when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things happen?” Jesus correctly predicts the end of the temple, but he refuses to give any exact time.

Jesus is using a type of preaching or speaking used by Jeremiah and found in the Book of Daniel. It is called apocalyptic. “Apocalypse” is a Greek word meaning “revelation” an unveiling or unfolding of things to come. Although this communication seems to be talking about the future, cataclysmic events that will transpire at the end of the world, its timeframe is here and now i.e. to warn, to challenge, to rally and to comfort those who are listening/living in the present circumstance and are going through a very difficult time. An example. When my three sisters and I were really cutting up and disobeying, our mother would say to us, “Wait till your father comes home!” Her warning us of future punishment had the immediate effect of calming us down and bringing some order into our household.  

When we listen carefully to the words of Jesus, we hear him warn his disciples not to be misled or deceived, to stay true to him, his teaching and way of life. Jesus is telling them what they already know and have experienced in our human condition: wars and insurrections, earthquakes, famines and plagues, awesome sights in the sky. But he adds something new: they will suffer because they are associated with him and called upon to give testimony in his name.

Apocalyptic preaching is not primarily to scare but to encourage people to remain vigilant and steadfast. Jesus promises that he will impart his own wisdom and will strengthen our resolve. In the most difficult and paralyzing moments, Jesus promises that when we act out of selfless love to seek first the good of another, we will find words and actions that heal and up-lift. The Kingdom of God is coming and is close at hand. Jesus does not teach dread but hope. Trying to calculate the end time is a waste of time. Signs of the apocalypse – war, plague, earthquakes – appear in every age. There will always be self-proclaimed Messiahs who manipulate such events for their own power. Jesus assures his followers that those who remain faithful to the vocation of discipleship will have nothing to fear when the end comes.