Beware that you are not led astray

Rev. 14:14-19, Lk. 21:5-11. As we come to the last week of the liturgical year, the message is apt to speak of the global catastrophe and the end of the world. In the apocalyptic language of today's first reading, the Son of Man and His angels are seeing harvesting the good fruit and throwing the bad and useless growth into the winepress of God’s anger. That which is discarded and needs to be crushed are the grapes of God's wrath which reminds us that final judgment scene will be an unpleasant experience for those who have not sought the Lord Jesus. In today's Gospel, Jesus also uses the apocalyptic language: “Beware that you are not led astray” about this theme.

Jesus speaks of the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple as His disciples were hugely impressed by the scale and beauty of the Temple, then reckoned as one of the architectural wonders of the world. Yet, Jesus says the time will come when not a stone of it will be left standing. Yet so many other splendid palaces have come and gone in the course of history that it is foolish to expect any building to last forever. When all else fails, the Lord will still be there for His love for us endures, even when our response to Him is not pleasant: “Even if we are faithless, he remains faithful.” The Jerusalem Temple was splendid and every Jew took pride in it. No one could imagine an eventual destruction of such a magnificent structure. That is why the prophecy of Jesus was shocking and it was fulfilled when Roman emperor Titus razed the glorious Temple to the ground. When people pointed to Him the greatness of the Temple, Jesus wept in response. He was able to see through the external grandeur, the signs of disintegration within. It is in this context that Jesus speaks about the end when the world may experience crises of different proportions. However, God holds everything in His hands so that we remain watchful and avoid wrong ways. The Word of God must light up our ways constantly to live in communion with one another and with God

May the Lord help us to use His gifts generously and wisely so that we may forever remain faithful all the days of our life! Amen!! Be safe and have a pleasant day!!!