As the end of the liturgical year approaches, the Word of God in this Sunday’s readings again invites us to turn our gaze to the “ultimate things” of history. In such a context, three key phrases emerge from the Gospel that we need to dwell on in order to deeply embrace Christ’s message to all his missionary disciples in the world, yesterday as well as today.
What Jesus said about the Jerusalem temple, “adorned with costly stones and votive offerings,” sounded like both a prophecy and a warning: “The days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down”. This is, in fact, a prediction of the total destruction of the temple, which occurred later in A.D. 70 due to Roman soldiers. However, more than a mere prophecy, Jesus' words actually served as a wake-up call to reflect on the days of the end that would occur in history, as if He wanted to call everyone, especially his disciples to reflection: “Beware! There is an end to everything in the world, indeed, there is an end to all things in the world.” Everything passes away, or as St. Paul states: “For the world in its present form is passing away” (1Cor 7:31). Every appearance, no matter how splendid or even seemingly enduring, will pass away at the end of time.
Moreover, with the expression “the days will come,” Jesus’ tone, as in the teaching that follows, is precisely that of the Old Testament prophets about the day of the Lord's final judgment, as we heard from the book of the prophet Malachi: “Lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven.” The tragic end of the Jerusalem temple becomes the emblematic image of the end time of human history. It should be emphasized, however, that Jesus' statement in this regard is not an isolated prophecy but a continuation of various pronouncements about the fate of Jerusalem. In particular, almost immediately before this episode, Jesus had wept at the sight of this city of God, uttering the following significant words: “If this day you only knew what makes for peace — but now it is hidden from your eyes. For the days are coming upon you when your enemies will raise a palisade against you; they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides. They will smash you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another within you because you did not recognize the time of your visitation” (Lk 19:42-44). Behind the destruction lies the rejection of “what makes for peace” and the inability to recognize and thus welcome “the time” of the Lord’s visitation. With this in mind, the truth about Jerusalem will also be a warning that the Word of God calls every believer to the wisdom of discernment, to welcome God at an opportune time, especially when the end is approaching.
To the curiosity of many as to “when” the destruction of Jerusalem will take place and “what sign” will anticipate it, the Master of Nazareth does not go into concrete details, but offers only general indications with an invitation to particularly careful discernment: “See that you not be deceived”. In describing the phenomena and misfortunes before the end of the temple and symbolically of the world, the language and imagery echo those of the Old Testament prophets. Nonetheless, we seem to be listening to the chronicles of our times with the news of “wars and insurrections”, “nation […] against nation, and kingdom against kingdom”, “earthquakes, famines, and plagues!” Therefore, we are always at the time of the end and at the end of time. Therefore, Jesus’ concrete advice to his disciples for good discernment and action is always valid: “Do not follow them!” False self-proclaimed messiah-saviors and “do not be terrified.” Here, we quote Christ’s own moving exhortation to the disciples in the Upper Room before his departure: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me” (Jn 14:1). The disciples' wise strength and calmness in the times of wars and conflicts will always be steadfast because of faith, also understood as trust, in God and Christ. Indeed, as Jesus points out at the end of the discourse: “By your perseverance you will secure your lives.” It is perseverance in faith that saves.
Finally, speaking in prophetic language of turbulent situations, Jesus emphasizes the reality of the persecution of his disciples by the world of the powerful and again recalls their vocation/mission to bear witness in all circumstances. The context of the teaching here is to indicate that the witnessing of Christians means responding to “kings and governors” in court, explaining and defending their faith in Christ. It is precisely a matter of giving reason for the hope we have as Jesus asked, and this finds resonance in St. Peter’s exhortation: “But even if you should suffer because of righteousness, blessed are you. Do not be afraid or terrified with fear of them, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope” (1Pt 3:14-15). And St. Peter continues with an important practical recommendation for all times: “but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame” (1Pt 3:16).
Finally, regarding this testimony of the disciples to their Master and Lord, we find the “strange” recommendation “you are not to prepare your defense beforehand” echoing Jesus’ earlier words in Luke, when He, urging His disciples to have the courage to “acknowledge” Him before others, suggested: “When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities, do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about what you are to say.” (Lk 12:11). He also explained the reason for such advice: “For the holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say” (Lk 12:12). Such teaching is also found in Matthew’s Gospel, when Christ sent his disciples on a mission to proclaim the Kingdom of God (cf. Mt 10:19-20).
Comparing these parallel texts brings out two important points. The first is that all Christians are called to witness to Christ before people, especially in times of turbulence and persecution. The vocation to proclaim Christ and his Gospel is not a commitment for a few, but a privilege for all. Every Christian, as Pope Francis insists, is both a disciple and a missionary. Second, in bearing witness to Jesus, disciple-missionaries will be accompanied by Himself with the Holy Spirit, who is “Spirit of the Father” and also “Spirit of Jesus.” Therefore, Jesus’ direct support of the disciples (“for I myself [Jesus] shall give you a wisdom in speaking”), is emphasized on the one hand, and on the other, the Spirit’s action in them “at that moment.” Therefore, in order to bear witness to Christ, the necessary preparation required of every disciple is especially on the “divine-spiritual” level: it is to be always in constant communion with Jesus and thus with his Spirit. This is why Jesus himself insists on the disciples he sends into the world, reiterating: “Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. […] It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain” (Jn 15:4,16).
We end then with the so-called Simple Prayer for Peace, attributed to St. Francis of Assisi because it expresses his disciple-missionary spirit in bearing witness to Christ and his Gospel of love and peace in the time of wars, divisions, and hatred:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.
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