KAALAGAD Gospel Reflection – Luke 21:5-19
5 Then, as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and donations, He said, 6 “These things which you see—the days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down.”
7 So they asked Him, saying, “Teacher, but when will these things be? And what sign will there be when these things are about to take place?”
8 And He said: “Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time has drawn near.’ Therefore do not go after them. 9 But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately.”
10 Then He said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven. 12 But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake. 13 But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. 14 Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; 15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. 17 And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. 18 But not a hair of your head shall be lost. 19 By your patience possess your souls.
of disaster and destruction: a history of humankind
So, in our reading of St Luke’s Gospel we edge toward the Passion Story. Here, we come not to an Edge but to a Cliff top. We are forced to behold below not a vista of grandeur but a valley of death, disaster and destruction. A fearful and fear-inspiring picture of what is to come. We note the language of Jesus:
- Not a single stone will be left on another
- Wars and revolutions, nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom
- Earthquakes, plagues and famines
- Betrayal by brothers and sisters, relations and friends
- You will be hated and put to death
- Escape to the mountains, a time of vengeance
- Great misery upon the land and wrath on people
- Nations in agony bewildered by the clamour of the ocean and its waves
- People dying of fear as they await what menaces the world.
Is this not the history of humankind? A kaleidoscope of images drawn not only from Jerusalem but from Syria, Afghanistan, the Balkans, Armenia, Europe and Asia of two World Wars as well as the Gulags of Siberia. Not only about Christians in Palestine but about Jews in Auschwitz-Birkenau, Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang re-education camps and First Peoples in colonised countries.
It is also the history of nations in agony through the violence of the world itself; be in typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda in 2013, the Indonesian tsunami of 2004 or the burning of the Amazon in our own times.
Into this existing and continuing chaos stepped the Carpenter of Nazareth Jesus who carried upon his back a Mountain of Care as he trod the path to the Mount of Calvary. He accepted the responsibility to fulfil His Father’s Dream for the world and its peoples: that is, to bring about a Kingdom of Justice and Peace.
The mission of Jesus was and remains an invitation to us to share in his mission. We do this by our actions, through what we do for our neighbour and for the world. Our prayer and our rituals – liturgy and sacrament – are our energisers for our mission of care. If our prayer and rituals do not compel us to reach out to others, do not literally push us to see the face of Jesus in the face of the poor, the sick, the disadvantaged, the disabled – and do not urge us to concrete action – there is a failure of mission and a need for repentance and penance.
The Mission of Jesus – care for the world and its peoples – is not enshrined in western materialistic ideology. His call to Redemption is not contained nor controlled by any particular structure of governance. Nor is it subservient to any particular temple or church glory. His call is to conversion of heart and spirit that may well be celebrated in worship ritual, but genuine conversion takes root and thrives in service.
Such “Care for the World and Its Peoples” is consistently promulgated by Pope Francis. As a prophet for our times and brother of his name-sake Francis of Assisi, he calls for structural changes in our care of the planet and calls out western materialism for its greed and worship of mammon.
The alert and challenge of Pope Francis is for Christians to act, not simply to stand at the Cliff top and turn our heads away. There is a demand for changes in church structure that will allow all members of the community to take responsibility for a transparent church that is recognized in society because of united action centered on the good of the world and its peoples.
